Abstraction is the process of cognition

This concept was introduced by Boethius as a translation of another Greek word, which Aristotle used. Abstraction (in translation means "abstraction") is a mental isolation of certain aspects, connections or properties of phenomena and objects, with the purpose of highlighting certain essential features and attributes. Similar designs may not have analogues in the physical world. This is typical for some mathematical disciplines. Abstraction is a direct consequence of the term described above. However, this already indicates a kind of methodology for cognition.

Abstraction is a concept of perception

When applying this method, the transformation of the model within a system (for example, intellectual) is considered. In this case, the entire system is distributed to elements that are subsystems. That is, abstraction is an operation, as a result of which a complex model is replaced by a more simplified one containing fewer differential elements, which, moreover, have more informative content. An example is the process of replacing a high-resolution video file with a lower-quality one for fast file processing and forwarding.

Features and hierarchy in the chain of abstractions

What is characteristic, it is theoretically possible to carry out such differential operations indefinitely. Abstraction is a method, after applying which to a carrier of certain properties, you can get some kind of model. However, with this particularity it is possible to work again in the same ways. Such cycles can be a huge variety. For example, you can abstract some one part of a given model, leaving the rest unchanged, then move on to the next selected part. As a result, summarize the data in one "tree". For each model, you can get a so-called abstraction space, which is the collection of sets ordered by given rules. In reality, of course, an infinite division of the whole into parts can not be. Therefore, they speak of a limited number of models obtained from the initial prototype, which are called "hierarchical abstract chains".

Typing Concepts

Abstraction is an intellectual need when it is necessary to find the differences between a particular object and the nature of the problem associated with it. For example, a person perceives a mountain as a set of geometric forms.

However, it is necessary to typify abstractions by types:

• Generalizing, which gives an abstract picture of the phenomenon; As a result, it is possible to single out the general properties of the models under study;
• Idealizing - the substitution of an empirical real phenomenon by an abstract ideal scheme;
• Actually an infinite abstraction - the fixation of each element of an infinite set (considering them as finite);
• Isolating - the isolation of the required object or phenomenon from the integrity, for example, the razor of Occam ;
• Constructive - "coarsening" the boundaries of the real object, distraction from their uncertainty.

The concept of "abstraction" can also be typified by the following purposes:

• Formal - the isolation of important properties for further analysis;
• Meaningful - highlighting practical qualities.

Interconnected concepts

Specification and abstraction are terms that it is almost impossible to talk about separately. These concepts are inverse to each other. To go to the chain of abstractions to the next level, it is necessary to apply the methods of instantiation to verify the correctness of the selection of particulars from the original set. This allows you not to lose connection with the prototype.