Idea
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
"An idea is always a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize means to think [...]."-- Hegel |
![Diagram of the human mind, from Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica, page 217[1] by Robert Fludd](/images/thumb/200px-Diagram_of_the_human_mind,_from_Robert_Fludd_(1574-1637),_Utriusque_cosmic_maioris_scilicet_et_minoris_metaphysica.jpg)
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Featured: ![]() Kunstformen der Natur (1904) by Ernst Haeckel |
An idea is a name or mental impression. Ideas are often construed as representational images; i.e., images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images. Many philosophers consider ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being. The capacity to create and understand the meaning of ideas is considered to be an essential and defining feature of human beings. In a popular sense, an idea arises in a reflex, spontaneous manner, even without thinking or serious reflection, for example, when we talk about the idea of a person or a place.
See also
- Idealism
- Brainstorming
- Creativity techniques
- Diffusion of innovations
- Form
- Ideology
- List of perception-related topics
- Notion (philosophy)
- Object of the mind
- Think tank
- Thought experiment