abstract thinking
Ideas without objects
Abstract thinking is the capacity to consider concepts, ideas, and principles apart from concrete objects or specific instances.
Where concrete thinking deals with the tangible and immediate, abstract thinking handles categories, relationships, and hypotheticals: Abstract thinking lets us reason about justice without needing a particular court case.
It underlies mathematics, philosophy, and metaphor—anywhere the mind works with ideas rather than things.
- problem-solvingAddressing challenges methodically
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
- higher orderMore abstract or complex level
- conceptualizationMental creation of ideas
- big pictureOverall perspective on things
connecting the dots · universals · metaphysics · ivory tower · induction · decision-making · symbolism · intelligence · symbolic logic · generalization · cognitive flexibility · mental gymnastics · metaphor · working memory · creativity · mental models · synthesis · Socratic method
- developmentgrowth, progress, advancement, expansion, improvement
- thinkingreasoning, thought, ponder, contemplate, pondering
- child developmentbaby, toddler, newborn, infancy, milestones
- cognitionreasoning, thought, cognition, remembering, memory retrieval
- mental processesthink, reasoning, cognition, pondering, attention
- abilitiesstrength, agility, endurance, flexibility, dexterity
abstract thinkingintuitive thinking
Cognition through instinct
learning by doing · intuitive understanding · trial-and-error learning · muscle memory · pattern recognition