The evolution of general ideas by Th. Ribot

"The Evolution of General Ideas" by Th. Ribot is a scientific publication written in the late 19th century. The book explores the cognitive processes of abstraction and generalization in the human mind, aiming to chart their evolution from primitive forms to more complex constructs. It delves into how these mental operations are foundational to our understanding of perception, language, and reasoning. The opening of the book begins with a preface outlining Ribot's intention to study the development of the mind's capacity for abstraction and generalization, distinguishing between pre-linguistic and linguistic forms of thought. He introduces the concept of "inferior abstraction" related to pre-speech cognition observed in animals, children, and deaf-mutes. Ribot intends to examine these mental processes through empirical observations, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive analysis of how intellect evolves through stages, each with unique properties determined by language and experience. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Ribot, Th. (Théodule), 1839-1916
Translator Welby, Frances A. (Frances Alice), 1862-1947
LoC No. 99004591
Title The evolution of general ideas
Original Publication United States: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1899.
Credits MFR and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Reading Level Reading ease score: 51.4 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.
Language English
LoC Class BF: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Psychology, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis
Subject Imagination
Subject Abstraction
Category Text
eBook-No. 70911
Release Date
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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