Thought is the highest level of abstraction-seeking, defined as putting one's finger on the essence of a situation and then bouncing back and forth between the actual situation and the perceived essence found in one's memories.

definitionpending

Speaker

Douglas Hofstadter

Evidence Quote

Thought is the highest level of abstraction. Putting one's finger on the essence of a situation, and then bouncing back and forth between the actual situation and the essence that one found in one's memories. [1:04:22]

Source

Analogy as the Core of CognitionStanford
Created: 8/12/2026, 6:12:22 PM

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