# Abstraction **Domain:** Philosophy / Language / Creativity **Doc Type:** Canonical concept node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Abstraction is the formation of a concept, pattern, or representation that preserves selected relationships while leaving many particulars behind. ## Mechanism and Significance Abstraction lets the mind compare unlike instances, imagine structures before they exist, and move between concrete experience and symbolic form. Poetry, music, mathematics, ritual, and visual art each organize abstraction through different materials. ## Evidence Boundary An abstraction is useful because it omits. It should not be mistaken for the whole reality from which it was drawn. ## Relationships [[wiki/Language|Language]] · [[wiki/Semiotics|Semiotics]] · [[wiki/Creativity|Creativity]] · [[wiki/Structuralism|Structuralism]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Abstract forms deserve respect. Poetry, music, ritual, and symbolism all grapple with experiences that plain prose struggles to capture. Exploring them expands the mind.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Opening Your Genius Through Language, Abstraction, and Manifesting - Livestream (Jan 2016)* [[reminders/Creativity/Abstract Forms Expand the Mind by Bryant McGill|Abstract Forms Expand the Mind by Bryant McGill]]