In the process of thinking, four operations take place. These include, in particular, the division, definition, limitation and generalization of concepts. Each operation has its own characteristics and patterns of flow. What is a generalization? What is the difference between this process and others?
Definition
Generalization is a logical operation. By means of it, with the exclusion of a species trait, a different definition is obtained, which has a wider volume, but much less content. Complicatedly, one can say that generalization is a form of an increment of knowledge through a mental transition to the general from the particular in a certain model of the world. This, as a rule, corresponds to a transition to a higher level of abstraction. The result of the logical operation in question will be a hyperonym.
general information
Simply put, generalization is the transition from species concepts to generic. For example, if you take the definition of "coniferous forest." By summarizing the result is a "forest". The resulting concept already has content, but the scope is much wider. The content became smaller due to the fact that the word "coniferous" was removed - a species trait. It should be said that the initial concept can be not only general, but also singular. For example, Paris. This concept is considered singular. When making the transition to the definition of "European capital", then there will be a "capital", then "city". This logical operation can be plunged into various definitions. For example, to generalize work experience. In this case, through the transition from the particular to the general, an understanding of the activity occurs. The generalization of experience is often used when there is a large accumulation of methodological and other material. So, gradually eliminating the characteristic features that are inherent in the subject, there is a movement towards the greatest expansion of the conceptual volume. As a result, the content is sacrificed in favor of abstraction.
Features
We considered such a concept as generalization. Its purpose is the maximum removal of the initial definition from its characteristic features. At the same time, it is desirable that the process proceed as gradually as possible, that is, the transition should occur in the direction of the closest species with the widest content. Generalization is not a limitless definition. A certain general category acts as its limit. This is a concept with extreme breadth of volume. Such categories include philosophical definitions: "matter", "being", "consciousness", "idea", "motion", "property" and others. Due to the fact that these concepts are not generic, their generalization is not possible.
Generalization as a task for artificial intelligence
The statement of the problem was carried out by Rosenblatt. In the process of the “pure generalization” experiment, from the perceptron or brain model, it was necessary to switch to one stimulus from a selective reaction to a stimulus similar to it, but not activating any of the previous sensory endings. A weaker type of task may, for example, be the requirement to extend the response of the system to components of the category of similar stimuli, which are not necessarily separated from the previously shown (or felt to the touch or heard before) stimulus. In this case, it is possible to investigate spontaneous generalization. In this process, the criteria of analogy are not imposed by the experimenter or are not introduced externally. You can also study compulsory generalization, in which the researcher "teaches" the system the concepts of similarity.
Limitation
This logical operation is the opposite of generalization. And if the second process is a gradual removal from the characteristics inherent in a particular subject, then the restriction, on the contrary, is designed to enrich the complex of characteristics. This logical operation involves reducing the volume based on the expansion of the content. The restriction is completed at the moment when a single concept appears. This definition is characterized by the most complete volume and content, where only one subject (object) is assumed.
conclusions
The generalization and restriction operations considered are processes of abstraction and concretization within the boundaries from a single definition to philosophical categories. These processes contribute to the development of thinking, knowledge of objects and phenomena, their interactions.
Through the use of generalizations and limitations of concepts, the thought process proceeds more clearly, sequentially and clearly. Along with this, the logical operations under consideration should not be confused with the separation of a part from the whole and the consideration of the resulting part separately. For example, a car engine includes several parts (starter, air filter, carburetor and others). These elements, in turn, are composed of others, smaller ones, and so on. In this example, the concept that follows is not a form of the previous one, but only its component. In the process of generalization, characteristic features are discarded. Together with a decrease in content (due to the elimination of symptoms), the volume increases (as the definition becomes more general). In the process of limitation, on the contrary, the generic concept adds new and new species characteristics and characters. In this regard, the volume of the definition itself decreases (as it becomes more specific), and the content, on the contrary, increases (by adding characteristics).
Examples
In the educational process, generalizations are applied in almost all cases when definitions are given through specific or generic differences. For example: "Sodium" is a chemical element. Or you can use the closest genus: "Sodium" - metal. Another generalization example:
- A predatory mammal from the Canine family.
- Predatory mammal.
- Mammal.
- Vertebrate.
- Animal.
- Organism.
And here is an example of a restriction in Russian:
- Sentence.
- Simple sentence.
- A simple one-piece sentence.
- A simple one-piece sentence with a predicate.