"Abstraction" is the ultimate lazy technique: How to raise the dimension of your thinking without discarding information
"Try thinking at a higher level of abstraction."
Have you ever been told this at work or in a discussion and felt annoyed, thinking, "In short, you want me to talk about something more vague and difficult?"
In many cases, we misunderstand the word "abstraction." We unconsciously label things like this: "Concrete talk = easy to understand = good," "Abstract talk = hard to understand = bad."
But when observing in the laboratory of thought, the truth is quite the opposite. What if, in fact, "abstraction" is the "ultimate lazy technique" for achieving results with the least amount of effort?
Today, let's talk about an OS update that will fix those bugs in your thinking.
🗺️ Structuring to make a "map," abstraction to make a "vehicle"
First, let's clarify the difference between "structuring" and "abstraction," which many people confuse. They may seem similar, but their roles are decisively different.
Structuring Lining up elements and organizing their relationships. 👉 Making it visible so you can say, "So that's how this connects!" (Mapping)
Abstraction Discarding concrete elements (materials) and extracting only the "pattern" of relationships. 👉 Making it portable so you can say, "I can use this pattern elsewhere too!" (Portability)
If structuring is the work of "pinning and fixing" complex reality in place, abstraction is the work of pulling out only the "essential rules" from it and putting them in your pocket.
Why pull them out? To reuse them as-is in other places (different jobs, relationships, hobbies).
🧪 Experiment: Trying to pull out the structure of "effort"
Let's play with a slightly concrete example. There is a common structure of "effort → growth → results."
This is a correct diagram in its own right. But as it is, it can only be used for talk about "sports" or "study." This is because the word "effort" has images (materials) of sweat and tears stuck to it.
So, instead of discarding information from here, let's try to "strip away the 'noise' and extract the 'essence'".
Effort ➔ "Input"
Growth ➔ "Process"
Results ➔ "Output"
What do you think happens the moment you convert it like this? This "pattern" is no longer just about sports.
Cooking: Ingredients (input) → Cooking (transformation) → Delicious dish (output)
AI: Prompt (input) → Inference (transformation) → Answer (output)
Strength training: Load (input) → Supercompensation (transformation) → Muscle (output)
A world that looks disjointed at first glance can be explained entirely by a single "pattern." This is the magic of abstraction.
It's not about reducing information to make it sparse, but rather by removing "conditions (era, location, proper nouns)," you are elevating it into a rule that works anywhere. right?
🚀 You are not discarding information. You are raising the "dimension."
If you think "abstraction = discarding information," you will inevitably have the impression of a "degraded copy." But the view from the perspective of an explorer is different.
Abstraction is "raising the dimension of your thinking."
When you are on the 1st floor (the level of the concrete), you can only see your frustration with "Boss A" right in front of you.
When you go up to the 2nd floor (the level of structure), you can see the lack of communication between "management and the front line."
When you go up to the 3rd floor (the level of abstraction), you realize that instead of persuading A, you should change the flow of information (the mechanism)!
Once you reach the 3rd floor, that solution might be applicable not only to the company but also to "parent-child relationships" and "conflicts between nations." Once you climb to a high place and obtain the pattern, you can slide down like a playground slide to any concrete example.
In other words, abstraction is "solving infinite problems with a single solution"—it is the ultimate efficiency skill.
"Try abstracting just one thing that made you feel 'annoyed' at work today. Isn't it the same 'pattern' as that problem in your private life?"
🌿 Next time preview
Did you feel that "abstraction" is not just a difficult topic, but something like wings that set your thinking free?
Well then. What do you think happens if you keep climbing these stairs of abstraction, higher and higher? After stripping away the unnecessary, removing the conditions, and raising the level of abstraction to the limit, a "single point that cannot be erased" remains.
Actually, that is the compass that keeps us from getting lost in life—the true identity of our "Core."
Next time, we will talk about this "Core" at the end of abstraction. And we will discuss the slightly mysterious and interesting structure of why "once you find your own core, you physically cannot get lost."
The journey of thought has only just begun.