What is some good definitions of abstraction? Some people seem to use the term to refer to something that is ambiguous or not defined. An example of what people sometimes say is: love is such an abstract concept. — musicpianoaccordion
Consider the number 2. It is abstract, but it has no instances, so it is not a universal. — Nagase
That seems to be the original meaning of the term "to abstract"; probably an analogy with the act of removing the flesh from the bones of an animal. Over time, the physical skeleton came to metaphorically represent some metaphysical essence (Soul??), or logical structure of the thing or concept being abstracted.One way of looking at the term abstraction is this: you take away all the unnecessary details. Then you will find the universal. — musicpianoaccordion
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