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120 Examples of a Concept

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A concept is an abstract idea or generalization. Any idea that doesn't correspond to a specific physical thing is a concept. As such, concepts are a foundational element of thought, language and communication. The following are common examples of a concept.
Adaptation
Advancement
Adventure
Algorithm
Architecture
Art
Artificial Intelligence
Assumptions
Authenticity
Automation
Bravery
Business
Cause
Change
Chaos
Civility
Communication
Competition
Constraints
Contract
Control
Coolness
Cuisine
Culture
Dance
Design
Development
Difficult
Digital
Easy
Economy
Education
Effect
Empathy
Ethics
Experiment
Fact
Failure
Fairness
Family
Freedom
Friend
Future
Game
Government
Groupthink
Happiness
Humility
Idealism
Imagination
Improvisation
Infinity
Influence
Infrastructure
Insanity
Intangible
Intuition
Joy
Justice
Law
Leadership
Love
Magic
Management
Marketing
Meaning
Measurement
Media
Military
Money
Motivation
Music
Optimism
Past
Pessimism
Philosophy
Play
Pragmatic
Principles
Privacy
Problem
Product
Productivity
Quality
Random
Realism
Reality
Resilience
Rights
Risk
Rule
Safety
Sales
Sanity
Science
Self-Fulfillment
Service
Society
Software
Sport
Stability
Story
Strategy
Student
Style
System
Talent
Tangible
Teacher
Technology
Theory
Thought
Time
Truth
Universe
Values
Virtual
Win
Wonder
Work

Abstractions

Abstractions are words, thoughts and visualizations that don't have a physical manifestation. For example, joy is a real thing that exists as part of the human experience but doesn't exist as a physical object. All abstractions are concepts.

Generalizations

A generalization is a concept based on common properties of things. For example, the word tree is a general term for trillions of plants that have properties in common such as a trunk, branches and leaves.

Concrete Nouns

Language is mostly conceptual such that most words are concepts that correspond to abstractions and generalizations. Not all language is conceptual such as proper names of people and places and concrete nouns that describe physical things. For example, the word tree is conceptual when you are talking about a non-specific tree as in the example below.
Trees breathe oxygen.
Tree can also be a concrete noun that refers to a specific physical plant as in this example:
Their tree fell on their house in the storm.

Visual Thinking

The concepts above are all based on language. It is also possible for a concept to be visual. For example, color symbolism whereby a color invokes meaning and emotion.

Overview

Concepts are either generalizations about physical things such as "chair" or ideas that do not correspond to a specific physical thing such as "freedom."

Counterexamples

The majority of words in English are concepts such that it is generally more difficult to identify words that aren't concepts. The following are common counterexamples of concepts.
Summary: Concepts
Type
Definition
An abstract idea or generalization.
Similar Terms
Conceptual
Abstract
Intangible
Generalization
Construct
Invention
Antonyms
Concrete
Physical
Substantive
Measurable
Related Concepts
Next: Abstract Concepts
More about thinking:
Abductive Reasoning
Abstract Thinking
Abstraction
Aesthetics
Analogy
Analysis Paralysis
Analytical Thinking
Anomie
Argument
Argument From Silence
Arrow Of Time
Assertions
Automaticity
Backward Induction
Base Rate Fallacy
Benefit Of Doubt
Big Picture
Brainstorming
Call To Action
Catch 22
Causality
Choice Architecture
Circular Reasoning
Cognition
Cognitive Abilities
Cognitive Biases
Cold Logic
Collective Intelligence
Complexity Bias
Concept
Consciousness
Constructive Criticism
Convergent Thinking
Counterfactual Thinking
Creative Tension
Creeping Normality
Critical Thinking
Culture
Curse Of Knowledge
Decision Fatigue
Decision Framing
Decision Making
Defensive Pessimism
Design Thinking
Divergent Thinking
Educated Guess
Emotional Intelligence
Epic Meaning
Essential Complexity
Excluded Middle
Failure Of Imagination
Fallacies
Fallacy Fallacy
False Analogy
False Balance
False Dichotomy
False Equivalence
First Principles
Formal Logic
Four Causes
Fuzzy Logic
Gambler's Fallacy
Generalization
Golden Hammer
Good Judgement
Grey Area
Groupthink
Heuristics
Hindsight Bias
Hope
Idealism
Ideas
If-By-Whiskey
Illogical Success
Imagination
Independent Thinking
Inductive Reasoning
Inference
Influencing
Informal Logic
Information
Information Cascade
Introspection
Intuition
Inventive Step
Learning
Lifestyle
Logic
Logical Argument
Logical Thinking
Ludic Fallacy
Magical Thinking
Meaning
Mental Experiences
Mental State
Mindset
Misuse of Statistics
Motivated Reasoning
Natural Language
Nirvana Fallacy
Norms
Not Even Wrong
Objective Reason
Objectivity
Opinion
Overthinking
Perception
Personal Values
Perspective
Positive Thinking
Practical Thinking
Pragmatism
Premise
Problem Solving
Proof By Example
Propositional Logic
Prosecutor's Fallacy
Radical Chic
Rational Thought
Realism
Reality
Reason
Reasoning
Red Herring
Reflective Thinking
Reification
Relativism
Salience
Scarcity Mindset
Scientism
Selective Attention
Serendipity
Situational Awareness
Sour Grapes
State Of Mind
Storytelling
Subjectivity
Systems Thinking
Thinking
Thought Experiment
Unknown Unknowns
Visual Thinking
Want To Believe
Whataboutism
Win-Win Thinking
Wishful Thinking
Worldview
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