An idea is a concept or mental impression. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images. Many philosophers consider ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being. The capacity to create and understand the meaning of ideas is considered to be an essential and defining feature of human beings. In a popular sense, an idea arises in a reflex, spontaneous manner, even without thinking or serious reflection, for example, when we talk about the idea of a person or a place.
Read more about Idea: Innate and Adventitious Ideas, In Anthropology and The Social Sciences
Other articles related to "ideas, idea":
... Euclid's philosophy was a synthesis of Eleatic and Socratic ideas ... Mixing these two ideas, Euclid claimed that good is the knowledge of this being ... He identified the Eleatic idea of "The One" with the Socratic "Form of the Good," which he called "Reason," "God," "Mind," "Wisdom," etc ...
... Associationism is the idea that mental processes operate by the association of one state with its successor states ... The idea is first recorded in Plato and Aristotle, especially with regard to the succession of memories ... and the "Associationist School", see Association of Ideas ...
... that assist corporations and individuals in keeping ideas from escaping to the general public ...
... "I got the idea for Netflix after my company was acquired," said Hastings ... Hastings said that when he founded Netflix, he had no idea whether or not customers would use the service ... but the subscription model was one of a few ideas we had—so there was no Aha! moment ...
Famous quotes containing the word idea:
“It’s very good for an idea to be commonplace. The important thing is that a new idea should develop out of what is already there so that it soon becomes an old acquaintance. Old acquaintances aren’t by any means always welcome, but at least one can’t be mistaken as to who or what they are.”
—Penelope Fitzgerald (b. 1916)
“This is no argument against teaching manners to the young. On the contrary, it is a fine old tradition that ought to be resurrected from its current mothballs and put to work...In fact, children are much more comfortable when they know the guide rules for handling the social amenities. It’s no more fun for a child to be introduced to a strange adult and have no idea what to say or do than it is for a grownup to go to a formal dinner and have no idea what fork to use.”
—Leontine Young (20th century)
“To keep up even a worthwhile tradition means vitiating the idea behind it which must necessarily be in a constant state of evolution: it is mad to try to express new feelings in a “mummified” form.”
—Alfred Jarry (1873–1907)