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Single Idea 7040

[filed under theme 15. Nature of Minds / C. Capacities of Minds / 5. Generalisation by mind ]

Full Idea

Words become general by being made the signs of general Ideas; and Ideas become general by separating them from circumstances of Time and Place and other ideas; by this way of abstraction they are made capable of representing more individuals than one.

Gist of Idea

General words represent general ideas, which are abstractions from immediate circumstances

Source

John Locke (Essay Conc Human Understanding (2nd Ed) [1694], 3.03.06)

Book Ref

Locke,John: 'Essay Concerning Human Understanding', ed/tr. Nidditch,P.H. [OUP 1979], p.411

A Reaction

Fodor says this is they key move for empiricism. You can dispense with platonic forms and pure universals, and simple show general concepts as a way the mind has of dealing with particulars, which are built from experiences.

The 31 ideas with the same theme [uniting similarities in reality into single propositions]:

9088 Skill comes from a general assumption obtained from thinking about similar things [Aristotle]
16153 Aristotle distinguishes two different sorts of generality - kinds, and properties [Aristotle, by Frede,M]
9068 Perception creates primitive immediate principles by building a series of firm concepts [Aristotle]
9069 A perception lodging in the soul creates a primitive universal, which becomes generalised [Aristotle]
18911 Linguistic terms form a hierarchy, with higher terms predicable of increasing numbers of things [Aristotle, by Engelbretsen]
9093 We understand the general nature of things by ignoring individual peculiarities [Aquinas]
9097 The mind abstracts generalities from images, but also uses images for understanding [Aquinas]
9095 Very general ideas (being, oneness, potentiality) can be abstracted from thought matter in general [Aquinas]
9099 Particular instances come first, and (pace Plato) generalisations are abstracted from them [Aquinas]
10508 Species are abstracted from appearances by ignoring individual conditions [Aquinas]
12126 People love (unfortunately) extreme generality, rather than particular knowledge [Bacon]
10501 A triangle diagram is about all triangles, if some features are ignored [Arnauld,A/Nicole,P]
9083 The mind creates abstractions by generalising about appearances of objects, ignoring time or place [Locke]
7040 General words represent general ideas, which are abstractions from immediate circumstances [Locke]
12951 Abstraction attends to the general, not the particular, and involves universal truths [Leibniz]
19760 General ideas are purely intellectual; imagining them is immediately particular [Rousseau]
19759 Only words can introduce general ideas into the mind [Rousseau]
19242 Generalization is the true end of life [Peirce]
19255 Generalisation is the great law of mind [Peirce]
18310 The 'highest' concepts are the most general and empty concepts [Nietzsche]
21569 It is good to generalise truths as much as possible [Russell]
10732 If concepts are just recognitional, then general judgements would be impossible [Geach]
18375 General truths are a type of negative truth, saying there are no more ravens than black ones [Armstrong]
19169 Predicates are a source of generality in sentences [Davidson]
15301 The very concepts of a particular power or nature imply the possibility of being generalised [Harré/Madden]
9330 Generalization seems to be more fundamental to minds than spotting similarities [Lehrer]
18266 Mathematics generalises by using variables [Coffa]
9152 If green is abstracted from a thing, it is only seen as a type if it is common to many things [Fine,K]
18504 Only particulars exist, and generality is our mode of presentation [Heil]
17696 'Humility is a virtue' has an abstract noun, but 'water is a liquid' has a generic concrete noun [Laycock]
17937 Mathematical generalisation is by extending a system, or by abstracting away from it [Colyvan]