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From Nordan Symposia
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1761]
==Definitions==
*1: a general [[statement]] or [[concept]] obtained by [[inference]] from specific cases: ''he was making sweeping generalizations''.
*2: the [[action]] of generalizing: ''such [[anecdotes]] cannot be a basis for generalization''.
==Description==
A '''generalization''' (or ''generalisation'') is a [[concept]] in the [[inductive]] sense of that word, or an [[extension]] of the concept to less-specific criteria. It is a [[foundational]] element of [[logic]] and human reasoning. Generalizations posit the [[existence]] of a domain or set of elements, as well as one or more common characteristics [[shared]] by those elements (thus creating a conceptual [[model]]). As such, they are the essential basis of all valid [[deductive]] [[inferences]]. The [[process]] of verification is [[necessary]] to determine whether a generalization holds true for any given situation.
The concept of generalization has broad [[application]] in many related [[disciplines]], sometimes having a specialized context or [[meaning]].
Of any two related concepts, such as A and B, A is a "generalization" of B, and B is a special case of A, if and only if
*every instance of concept B is also an instance of concept A; and
*there are instances of concept A which are not instances of concept B.
For instance, animal is a generalization of bird because every bird is an animal, and there are [[animals]] which are not birds (dogs, for instance).
[[Category: Logic]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1761]
==Definitions==
*1: a general [[statement]] or [[concept]] obtained by [[inference]] from specific cases: ''he was making sweeping generalizations''.
*2: the [[action]] of generalizing: ''such [[anecdotes]] cannot be a basis for generalization''.
==Description==
A '''generalization''' (or ''generalisation'') is a [[concept]] in the [[inductive]] sense of that word, or an [[extension]] of the concept to less-specific criteria. It is a [[foundational]] element of [[logic]] and human reasoning. Generalizations posit the [[existence]] of a domain or set of elements, as well as one or more common characteristics [[shared]] by those elements (thus creating a conceptual [[model]]). As such, they are the essential basis of all valid [[deductive]] [[inferences]]. The [[process]] of verification is [[necessary]] to determine whether a generalization holds true for any given situation.
The concept of generalization has broad [[application]] in many related [[disciplines]], sometimes having a specialized context or [[meaning]].
Of any two related concepts, such as A and B, A is a "generalization" of B, and B is a special case of A, if and only if
*every instance of concept B is also an instance of concept A; and
*there are instances of concept A which are not instances of concept B.
For instance, animal is a generalization of bird because every bird is an animal, and there are [[animals]] which are not birds (dogs, for instance).
[[Category: Logic]]
