Have you ever heard about abstract thinking or asked yourself, what are abstract ideas are all about? And didn’t find quite an accurate answer and feel still confused?
Then don’t worry we are here to tell you everything about abstract ideas, and also by defining abstract ideas examples which will help you to understand much better.
But before we talk about all those kinds of stuff, we just want to make sure where we got this information.
We have done a good amount of research on different platforms, forums, listening bunch of people, and including with other social sites.
You can also check out the sources at the end of this blog if you are kind of more curious.
What we’ve found useful is everyone has some sort of the same approach but in a different way, So after reading a bunch of things,
We have written this article for you to get everything that you want to learn about abstract ideas.
Hope It will be helpful for you.
Table of Contents
What Are Abstract Ideas [Explained]
What are abstract ideas? In simple words, It is the absence of being.
But it's not enough to understand, so let's dive into a little deep.
If you talk about the theoretical answer, it is real, but in reality it is not. Similar to Jean Baudrillard's french sociologist theory of simulation vs simulacra: A simulation is like, well, a simulation. It is an example of the real world. A simulacrum is an icon with no existence.
Think of it as a thought. It has no supporting proof, so it is a simulation of the actual thing.
Just like that, Ideas are thoughts that do not exist, or you just imaged in your mind, but it has no physical existence at that point in time is called abstract ideas.
A Bit More Explanation:
In Latin, the word “Abstract” literally means = "to be pulled away from" (in verb form).
And when we see in a psychological manner, addressing these ideas, we tend to use the label “abstract” on specific thoughts or ideas that might occur from someone that may seem - in most cases - imagined by any other group or individual.
Theoretical refers to things that people believe exist, but cannot be proved to exist.
So It refers to the ideas which are not concerned with worldly things like we said. They are the things that you cannot touch, but you can feel it very easily.
What Does Abstract Ideas Mean? [Wikipedia Answer]
Abstract ideas are concepts that need to be visualized, as they cannot be illustrated through concrete (real) examples. In a simple way, explaining the progression of logic in a (computer) program will be possible only if the reader can correctly visualize (imagine) it in his mind. (metaphysics) An idea separated from a complex object, or from other ideas which naturally accompany it; as the solidity of marble when contemplated apart from its color or figure. – Abstract Ideas Meaning By Wikipedia
Now let’s talk about abstract ideas examples one by one, so you will understand better manner.
What Are Abstract Ideas Examples?
So we already know that the abstract ideas are just concepts that needs to be visualized in your mind or someone’s mind, as they cannot be illustrated through concrete (real) examples which we’ll talk about later in this blog.
Now to flow into your mind, it’s better to show some abstract ideas examples, so you can take it as a real word example which you might have experienced somewhere in your life.
Maybe not everything that we mentioned below but most of it.
Abstract Ideas list, Examples:
- Education,
- Knowledge,
- Thinking,
- Imagination,
- Humor,
- Happiness,
- Cowardice,
- Language,
- Freedom,
- Charity,
- Self-expression,
- Culture,
- Impact,
- Forgiveness,
- Compassion,
- Status,
- Peace of mind,
- Greed,
- Knowledge,
- Truth,
- Coolness,
- Worthfullness
- Courage,
- Jealously,
- Kindness,
- Courage,
- Innocence,
- God,
- Emotions,
- Insanity, Liberty,
- Friendship,
- Compassion,
- Honor,
- Wisdom,
- Fame,
- Justice,
- Love, Anger, Fear,
- Betrayal, Sympathy.
There are many more examples out there that accept these, but you get the idea, right?
Usually, these abstract terms are difficult to define alone, but easier when in context.
For Example:
What is Right? Vs. What is the right answer to this math equation? For most people, it will be easier to answer the second question, because it is in context.
Let’s say: An apple is an idea until one is empirically experiencing an apple. The apple remains concrete as one bite into it and chews. After it has been eaten and the core disposed of, an apple is a memory and, once again, an abstraction. It just becomes memory only.
The fundamental nature of abstraction is often lost when speaking, for example, of contrasts between representational painting and expressionist painting.
Even a photo-realistic rendering of a physical thing is an abstraction of that thing and not the thing itself.
A great example of abstract thinking at work is humor.
Comedians are experts in abstract thinking. They observe the world around them. They detect incongruities, absurdities, and outrages. And they build jokes out of the unexpected connections.
How You Use Abstract Thinking?
Abstract thinking is considered a higher-order reasoning skill. You use it when you:
- create things
- speak figuratively
- solve problems
- understand concepts
- analyze situations
- form theories
- put things in perspective
Abstractions are ideas derived from empirical experience with nature and provide opportunities for enhancing understanding beyond the limits of that empirical experience.
Concept Between Concrete Ideas vs Abstract Ideas
The distinction between abstract and concrete refers to a divide between two types of entities. Many philosophers hold that this difference has fundamental metaphysical significance. Examples of concrete objects include plants, human beings and planets, while things like numbers, sets, and propositions are abstract objects.
There is no general consensus as to what the characteristic marks of concreteness and abstractness are.
| Abstract | Concrete |
|---|---|
| Tennis | A tennis match |
| Redness | Red light reflected off of an apple and hitting one’s eyes |
| Five | Five cars |
| Justice | A just action |
| Humanity (the property of being human) | Human population (the set of all humans) |
Popular suggestions include defining the distinction in terms of the difference between
- existence inside or outside space-time,
- having causes and effects or not,
- having contingent or necessary existence,
- being particular or universal and
- belonging to either the physical or the mental realm, or to neither.
Despite this diversity of views, there is broad agreement concerning most objects, whether they are abstract or concrete.
So under most interpretations, all these views would agree that, for example, plants are concrete objects while numbers are abstract objects.
| Abstract idea | Concrete idea |
|---|---|
| Dense things sink. | It will sink if its density is greater than the density of the fluid. |
| You breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. | Gas exchange takes place between the air in the alveoli and the blood. |
| Plants get water through their roots. | Water diffuses through the cell membrane of the root hair cells. |
Last Thoughts
In last, I hope you already got an idea about what are abstract ideas all about.
The basic concept is, while a particular abstract idea might be difficult to define, the concept of an abstract idea is simple.
Most things that humans think of being as abstract ideas before they become concrete, just like you imagine or believe things before you actually get into the real world or achieve it in real life.
Humans have a long history of invention, creativity, and complex ideologies that all depend on our ability to engage in abstract thinking, That's why we created so many things that didn't exist before.