What are the generalization and limitation of concepts in logic? It is rather difficult to describe this briefly, since discipline is philosophical and appeals with a considerable number of nuances. Generalizations and restrictions, as well as the processes of their implementation, are just related to logical mechanisms.
What is logic? Definition
The word “logic” itself is of Greek origin. This name arose from the ancient word - "logo". In a literal translation, it means “reason”, “thought” or “reasoning”.
Accordingly, logic is the science of thinking, of the ways, forms and patterns of cognition, the implementation of rational activity.
Logic is at the same time an independent philosophical scientific discipline and an instrument of cognition that allows one to build theories and conduct reasoning.
What is a concept? Definition
To understand what a generalization and restriction of concepts is in logic, you need to clearly understand what exactly is the subject of its study. In other words, one should imagine what is meant by the term “concept”.
This is nothing but the unity of phenomena, objects, their characteristic properties, arising in the mind. The concept also includes thoughts or their systems, chains, with the help of which an idea of something is created.
Types of concepts
The operations of generalization and limitations of concepts in logic, without a doubt, depend on the essence of what they are carried out in relation to. In other words, from a variety of concepts, limited or generalized. They are subdivided according to volume and content.
Classification of concepts based on volume:
- single;
- empty
- general.
According to the content, they are divided into the following categories:
- positive and negative;
- irrelevant and relative;
- collective and dividing;
- concrete and abstract;
- empirical and theoretical.
In addition, concepts can be comparable to each other or, conversely, radically alien in meaning.
What is a generalization of concepts in logic? Definition
The generalization and limitation of concepts in logic are thought processes that, no doubt, are very much alike, but they pursue completely different goals.
Under the generalization is understood a mental operation, as a result of which from one concept another is formed, akin to the original. A new concept that arises in the process of generalization is characterized by a greater degree of semantic coverage, but much less specificity.
In other words, a generalization is a chain of conclusions, in the process of which there is a transition from particular concepts to broader, abstract ones. That is, it is nothing but a mental movement from the particular, the concrete or the individual, to the general.
What is the limitation of concepts in logic? Definition
Although in their implementation the generalization and restriction of concepts in logic are very similar, they pursue exactly the opposite goals.
By restriction is meant a thought process consisting in adding to one, the initial concept of another, narrowing and concretizing its meaning. That is, the first concept in the chain of conclusions, or, as it is also called, generic, loses its abstractness through reasoning and transforms into a particular or a specific one.
What are the results of logical reasoning under generalizations and restrictions called?
Since the generalization and restriction of concepts in logic pursue completely different goals, the results of these types of mental activity differ, including the names.
The result of logical generalization becomes a hyperonym. This term means the result of mental activity, which led to a conclusion characterized by a broad meaning, with a complete lack of specificity.
The result of a thought process using logical restrictions is called a hyponym. This term expresses a concrete concept that has a narrow meaning in relation to a broader, more general one.
What are the similarities and differences between restriction and generalization?
The generalization and limitation of concepts in logic are ways of organizing the thought process, which include a chain of conclusions that ends with a certain result. This is the similarity between them, allowing us to consider these concepts together. In other words, the process of reflection is the same. But from the starting point or the initial, primary concept, a person’s thought moves in radically different directions.
This is precisely the difference. The generalization and restriction of concepts in logic pursue separate goals and lead to opposite results. Nevertheless, these concepts are interconnected with each other, like two sides of the coin.
This means that each concept under consideration, which participates both in generalization and in limitation, can act in two ways with respect to neighboring links that make up the chain of thought. That is, if a person, thinking, carries out a restriction of the concept, then any intermediate will become a hyponym in relation to the subsequent. And, accordingly, it will also act as a hyperonym for the previous concept. The relationship is similarly arranged in the implementation of another thought process. Thus, a generalization and restriction of concepts in logic are related. Only their results matter differently. However, each of the processes, if we consider them in the reverse order, is transformed into its exact opposite.
