Fallacy of misplaced concreteness
Alfred North Whitehead
- neglecting the degree of abstraction involved when an actual entity is considered merely so far as it exemplifies certain categories of thoughtThis is a major human communication problem
Communication fails when people operate at different levels of concreteness
We typically accept a high level of abstraction in what we believe and demand a high level of concreteness when we disbelieve
People typically accept a high level of abstraction in their religious beliefs but make concrete objections to others' beliefs
