Four operations take place during the thinking process. 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? How is this process different from others?
Definition
Generalization is a logical operation. By means of it, with the exclusion of a specific feature, a different definition is obtained as a result, having a wider scope, but significantly less content. It can be complicated to say that generalization is a form of 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 the transition to a higher level of abstraction. The result of the considered logical operation will be a hypernym.
General information
In other words, generalization is the transition from specific to generic concepts. For example, if we take the definition of "coniferous forest". By generalizing, the result is a "forest". The resulting concept already has content, but the volume is much wider. The content has become smaller due to the fact that the word was removed"coniferous" is a specific feature. It should be said that the original concept can be not only general, but also singular. For example, Paris. This concept is considered unique. When making the transition to the definition of "European capital", then there will be "capital", then "city". This logical operation can be subverted by various definitions. For example, to conduct a generalization of work experience. In this case, through the transition from the particular to the general, the comprehension of activity takes place. Generalization of experience is often used when there is a large accumulation of methodological and other material. So, gradually excluding the characteristic features that are inherent in the subject, there is a movement towards the greatest expansion of the conceptual volume. In the end, content is sacrificed in favor of abstraction.
Features
We have considered such a thing as generalization. Its purpose is the maximum removal of the original 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. A generalization is not a limitless definition. A certain general category acts as its limit. This is a concept that has the ultimate breadth of scope. These categories include philosophical definitions: "matter", "being", "consciousness", "idea", "movement", "property" and others. Due to the fact that these concepts do not havegeneric affiliation, it is not possible to generalize them.
Generalization as a task for artificial intelligence
The task was formulated by Rosenblatt. In the course of the "pure generalization" experiment, it was necessary to move from a perceptron or brain model to one stimulus from a selective response to a stimulus similar to it, but not activating any of the previous sensory endings. A weaker kind of task may, for example, be the requirement to extend the system's response to components of a category of similar stimuli that are not necessarily separated from the previously shown (or perceived by touch or heard before) stimulus. In this case, it is possible to explore spontaneous generalization. In this process, the criteria of analogy are not imposed by the experimenter or introduced from outside. You can also study forced generalization, in which the researcher "trains" the system in terms of similarity.
Restriction
This logical operation is the opposite of generalization. And if the second process is a gradual removal from the features inherent in a particular object, then the restriction, on the contrary, is designed to enrich the complex of characteristics. This logical operation provides for a reduction in volume based on the expansion of content. The restriction is terminated at the moment when a single concept appears. This definition is characterized by the most complete scope and content, whereonly one subject (object) is assumed.
Conclusions
The considered operations of generalization and limitation 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 flows more clearly, consistently and clearly. At the same time, the considered logical operations should not be confused with the selection of a part from the whole and consideration of the resulting part separately. For example, a car engine includes several parts (starter, air filter, carburetor, and others). These elements, in turn, consist of other, smaller ones, and so on. In this example, the concept that follows is not a kind of the previous one, but only its constituent element. In the process of generalization, characteristic features are discarded. Along with the decrease in content (due to the elimination of features), the volume increases (as the definition becomes more general). In the process of limitation, on the contrary, the generic concept adds more and more specific characteristics and features. In this regard, the volume of the definition itself decreases (because it becomes more specific), while the content, on the contrary, increases (by adding characteristics).
Examples
In the educational process, generalizations are used in almost all cases when definitions are given through a specific or generic difference. For example: "Sodium" is a chemical element. Or maybeuse the nearest gender: "Sodium" - metal. Another generalization example:
-
generalization of work experience A carnivorous mammal from the Canine family.
- Carnivorous mammal.
- Mammal.
- Vertebrate.
- Animal.
- Organism.
And here is an example of a restriction in Russian:
- Offer.
- A simple sentence.
- A simple one-part sentence.
- A simple one-part sentence with a predicate.
