What is the difference between a term and a concept. Difference between lexical meaning and concept

Two meanings of the concept of religion The word "religion" comes from the Latin religio - piety, shrine, connection. All these meanings are included in the concept of religion. Some objects are defined in religion as sacred, believers feel a connection with them and revere them. "Religion is the one

Semantic components of lexical meaning

The word "concept" and the word "definition" are two terms that we often come across in our daily life. We constantly operate with them in colloquial speech, often without thinking about what they really mean.

Modern individuals, in their overwhelming majority, use linguistic categories at the level of intuition, and almost never try to thoroughly grasp the meaning of this or that meaning. Everything seems to be clear. But meanwhile, without these two words (or rather, without these two basic mechanisms of thinking, which are hidden behind them), our brain could never make a correct picture of the world around us. The properties of objects and phenomena would not be known to us, and linguistic communication would be many times difficult, because in many cases we simply could not understand each other. So, dear readers, let's finally consider ...

What is the concept

Concept is one of the terms used by dialectical philosophy... This word has a great variety of definitions. Many famous philosophers have given their own personal interpretation of this category. Among them were Hegel, Lenin, Berkov, Azarenko and many others. Lenin, for example, called the concept the highest product of the activity of the human brain, which, in turn, is the highest manifestation of living matter. To be more understandable to the reader, we give the shortest definition of the term "concept", which in the most concise form explains its essence.

The concept is one of the main forms of human thinking, which reflects in general terms the essence of the phenomena and objects of the real world around us, highlighting both general and specific signs among them, and consolidating the experience gained in definitions (definitions).

What is the definition

What, then, is “definition”? This is another philosophical term that is characteristic of both dialectical philosophy and logic, in which it has another name - definition.

Definition (definition) is precise interpretation of a concept, which carries a clear, fixed meaning.

Simple examples to help you better understand the meaning and meaning of these two terms

So, we figured out that a concept is the general signs of an object or phenomenon (or a group of objects or phenomena), information about which our brain received through the senses. In fact, such information that has undergone primary processing is an abstraction, which reflects only the general features of objects. Thus, the words and phrases that we use in everyday speech are nothing more than a form through which we can express our concepts.

Every concept must have a definition... Otherwise, it risks getting the label “indefinite” and replenishing the vast vocabulary of “empty” aphorisms of demagoguery. It is thanks to the definitions (definitions) that we know the exact meaning of this or that word combination.

It is thanks to definitions that we can use synonyms. It is thanks to definitions that we are able to distinguish homonyms in our speech. Indeed, many words of our language, with the same spelling and pronunciation, have diametrically opposite meanings (homonyms). And vice versa - many of the components of our speech have different spelling and pronunciation, but mean the same thing (synonyms). If there were no definitions, then humanity would cease to understand each other. It is thanks to definitions that we have a detailed concept of any action and process taking place in the reality around us.

To better understand the knowledge gained, let's look at simple examples of concepts and definitions that will help us better understand the difference between these terms.

Example one

The word "scythe" has several meanings. This is a sea bank, and a woman's hairstyle, and an agricultural tool. In this case, "scythe" is an undefined concept. But if we say - a fair-haired braid, then this will already be a definite concept. If we say - the fair-haired braid of Margarita Popova, then this will already be a definition. That is, the speech here will not be about some kind of abstraction, but about a certain object, the description and properties of which are well known to us (or we can recognize them).

Example two

As a second example, which will help us distinguish concept from definition, the word “ element". At the moment, it is also an undefined concept for us. We do not know exactly what this object is. It can be a battery in the control panel, one of the parts of a metal structure, or a social stratum of society. Our brain needs more information. Upon receipt, it turns out that it is a chemical element. Now an indefinite concept turns into a definite one. On closer examination, it turns out that it is plutonium. From this moment on, a certain concept becomes a definition (definition). That is, abstraction turns into a concrete object with precise, fixed properties.

The difference between a concept and a definition

In order to better navigate this issue, we give a short list of the main differences between the category "concept" and the category "definition".

• Concept - represents endless mental abstraction, where an indefinite number of objects or phenomena can be entered. Definition - is a fixed description of any one specific object or phenomenon.
abstract thinking categorygenerated by reason. Definition - a method of rationalistic knowledge, generated by reason.
• The concept is not constrained in cognition by any conventions or mental boundaries, beyond which one cannot go. Therefore, unlike the definition, it is much closer to the main root cause (the Absolute).
• The concept already contains the truth, while definition is a process aimed at revealing this truth.

We hope that the article you just read has helped you better understand what a "concept" is and understand what a "definition" is. In conclusion, I would like to wish you good luck in the further development of complex philosophical terms, which, in fact, turn out to be not so difficult. The main thing is to show a little perseverance and curiosity in mastering a specific issue. Good luck to you.

The word "term" (terminus) is Latin and once had the meaning of "limit, border". A term is a word or phrase that serves to unambiguously and accurately designate (name) a special, scientific concept in a certain system of special concepts (in science, technology, production). Like any common word, the term has content, or meaning (semantics, from the Greek semantikos - denoting), and a form, or sound complex (pronunciation, spelling). In contrast to non-terms, that is, from all the rest of the common noun vocabulary, which denotes everyday, everyday, so to speak "naive" concepts, terms denote special, scientific concepts. \\

What is a concept in general as a category of logic? The Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary defines the concept as follows: "Thought reflecting in a generalized form objects and phenomena of reality and connections between them by fixing general and specific features, which are the properties of objects and phenomena and the relationship between them." The concept has content and scope. The content of a concept is a combination of the attributes of an object reflected in it. The scope of a concept is a set (class) of objects, each of which has attributes that make up the content of the concept.

In contrast to ordinary, everyday concepts, a special, scientific concept is always a fact of a scientific concept, the result of theoretical generalization. The term, being a sign of a scientific concept, plays the role of an intellectual tool. With its help, scientific theories, concepts, provisions, principles, laws are formulated. The term is often a messenger of a new scientific discovery, a phenomenon. Therefore, unlike non-terms, the meaning of a term is disclosed in a definition, a definition that is necessarily attributed to a term. A definition is a formulation in a concise form of the essence of the terminated, i.e., designated by the term, concept: only the basic content of the concept is indicated. For example: "ontogenesis (Greek on, ontos being, being + genesis generation, development) is a set of successive morphological, physiological and biochemical transformations of an organism from its inception to the end of life"; "Aerophiles (Greek aёr air + philos loving) are microorganisms that receive energy only from the oxidation of oxygen in the environment."

As you can see, the definition does not just clarify the meaning of the term, it sets this meaning. The requirement to define what a particular term means is tantamount to the requirement to give a definition of a scientific concept.

In encyclopedias, special explanatory dictionaries, textbooks, the concept (term) introduced for the first time is revealed in definitions. Knowledge of the definitions of those concepts (terms) that are included in the curriculum for the disciplines is a mandatory requirement for the student.

It goes without saying that the conceptual content of terms can be fully and strictly scientifically disclosed only when studying special disciplines at the relevant departments. When teaching the Latin language and the basics of medical terminology in the first year, such a task is not and cannot be set.