Abstraction is a technique for organizing complex information, facilitating efficient understanding and judgment. In this article, we will sort out the thinking of abstraction in both analysis and evaluation.
For analysis, abstraction aids in understanding the relationship and structure of things by aggregating and classifying information. Through three dimensions — conceptual grouping, spatial grouping, and aspectual grouping — information becomes more manageable and interpretable.
On the other hand, abstraction for evaluation provides criteria and perspectives for evaluating information and matters. The three dimensions of truth, goodness, and beauty offer frameworks for evaluating things from objective, social, and subjective perspectives, respectively.
Both abstraction techniques serve as effective tools for organizing, interpreting, and evaluating information. Mastering these techniques enhances problem-solving and decision-making quality and promotes efficient communication and mutual understanding.
Let’s delve into more detail.
Overview of Abstraction
Abstraction is an advanced intellectual task. It simplifies complex matters, extracting the useful parts.
When making decisions, we analyze and evaluate. Abstraction is useful during this process. Abstraction for analysis and evaluation each has distinct dimensions.
Three Dimensions of Analytical Abstraction
Analytical abstraction has three dimensions combined for analysis.
The first is conceptual grouping.
Explanation: Grouping things that share the same properties or features. For instance, classifying edible plants as vegetables or fruits. By categorizing items with similar properties, their knowledge becomes more efficiently manageable.
The second is spatial grouping.
Explanation: Grouping things based on their physical or logical proximity. For example, grouping fruits in the same basket. This allows for understanding the price and characteristics of the entire basket with minimal information.
The third is aspectual grouping.
Explanation: Abstracting information and features from a specific viewpoint or aspect. For instance, comparing fruits in terms of sweetness, sourness, flavor, or comparing them in terms of weight and size for ease of transport. This allows for focused comparisons.
Benefits of Analytical Abstraction
Appropriately applying analytical abstraction offers benefits:
- Efficient information processing and deeper understanding.
- Serves as a common language, facilitating dialogue and constructive discussions.
- Allows for quick and suitable evaluations.
Skills in analytical abstraction are crucial for problem-solving, academic research, and technological development.
Three Dimensions of Evaluative Abstraction
Evaluation condenses analyzed results into simpler indicators for final judgments or decisions. Evaluative abstraction also has three dimensions.
The first is truth, which is an evaluation dimension based on rationality, excluding subjectivity and social aspects.
Explanation: Evaluating based on the accuracy, validity, and reliability of facts and theories. Assess how close information, ideas, or proposals are to the truth or how accurate they are. For example, evaluating the reasonability of fruit prices and checking if they contain the desired nutrients. Also, confirming if the place of origin and variety match the label.
The second is goodness, the dimension of evaluation from a social perspective.
Explanation: Evaluating based on ethical and moral values. Assessing actions, decisions, or thoughts for their goodness or social acceptability. For instance, checking if fruits were grown without soil-contaminating chemicals or without child labor and exploitation.
The third is beauty, the dimension of evaluation from a subjective perspective, which includes personal likes and dislikes.
Explanation: Evaluating based on aesthetic value and sensibility. Depending on this criterion, assess how attractive the form, color, sound, or texture of things is or how emotionally resonant they are. As it’s highly subjective, different people typically have different evaluations. For example, evaluating fruits based on taste preference and checking for vibrant colors and regular shapes.
Benefits of Evaluative Abstraction
Properly implementing evaluative abstraction has benefits:
- Improved conviction in judgments and decisions, reducing the chances of overturning them later.
- Serves as a common language, enhancing dialogue and mutual understanding.
- Enables quick and appropriate judgments and decision-making.
Skills in evaluative abstraction also become crucial in problem-solving, academic research, and technological development.
Procedure for Analysis and Evaluation
Typically, one might think that analysis is performed first, followed by evaluation. However, in reality, there is a need to switch back and forth between analysis and evaluation. This is because without evaluation, you wouldn’t know what to analyze, and without analysis, you can’t grasp the axis of evaluation.
We often don’t fully understand our evaluation criteria as much as we think we do, especially when other parties are involved. Thus, alternating between analysis and evaluation is both inevitable and a crucial process.
For example, suppose you go to a store to buy one apple.
You notice a basket with three apples is a better deal. The storekeeper recommends a sweet variety. Then, you remember you want to make apple pie and consider a different type might be better.
You notice a basket with apples, oranges, and bananas. This seems more appealing. You think of sharing the banana with your neighbor. As far as you remember, they only eat organic fruits.
In this manner, you advance your thinking by repeatedly analyzing and evaluating, finally making a decision. After careful consideration, you manage to get apples suitable for apple pie at a low price and deepen your relationship with your neighbor.
Application of Analysis and Evaluation
In everyday situations, as demonstrated in this example, repeatedly analyzing and evaluating is essential. And we do this often without being aware of the abstraction involved.
When tackling complex problems as a team, being conscious of the process of analysis, evaluation, and abstraction allows for efficient deliberation and appropriate decision-making.
However, in pure academic fields, the evaluation axis is based solely on truth. From this premise, one can delve deep through analysis and abstraction. On the other hand, for problem-solving, business, or even academic issues where the standard approach fails, repeated analysis and evaluation are necessary. There’s no absolute answer for the level of analysis or evaluation axis. If it’s practically useful, that’s the answer.
Points to Consider
While abstraction is crucial, excessive abstraction isn’t beneficial. The skill of abstraction is also the ability to adjust its degree appropriately. You need to alternate between analysis and evaluation to adjust the level of abstraction right.
Some fail by proceeding only with analysis without seeking the evaluation axis, wasting unnecessary time and effort. For example, if you want easy-to-carry fruit, analyzing its taste, origin, price, or nutritional value doesn’t help.
Conversely, others get too caught up in issues on the evaluation axis and keep fretting. By analyzing, one might resolve dilemmas and trade-offs and thus avoid wasting time.
Furthermore, evaluation axes differ depending on cultural backgrounds, values, beliefs, and past experiences. When consolidating the opinions of stakeholders, it’s essential to present properly abstracted analysis results and evaluation axes for discussion.
In Conclusion
For individuals, organizations, communities, and society at large, abstraction holds significant importance. It’s required to abstract appropriately in analysis and evaluation.
Observing discussions about complex modern societal issues in the news or on social media often frustrates me. I feel there’s a need to analyze issues more appropriately and organize discussions while sorting out evaluation axes.
In academia, interdisciplinary research is recognized as crucial, but I hear there’s often a lack of participants. In interdisciplinary studies, defining the evaluation axis and creating a common language between fields is essential.
Software engineers and system engineers hone their abstraction skills daily. Especially system architects, who possess advanced abstraction skills, play a role in organizing system requirements based on stakeholder feedback and crafting basic designs accordingly.
In areas requiring complex problem analysis and evaluation, such as societal issues or interdisciplinary research, I believe it’s essential to have individuals with these abstraction skills in today’s society.
