In this blog post, we explore whether the categorization we use in our daily lives is a useful way to understand the world or a cause of prejudice.
In our daily lives, we sometimes refer to different things by the same name. This is because we think they have something in common. For example, even though the dog next door is a Jindo dog and the dog we have at home is a Chihuahua, we call them both “dogs.” This means that we see the attributes included in the concept of “dog” as something that Jindo dogs and Chihuahuas share, and therefore include both of them in the category of “dogs.” This shows that concepts function as categories.
People understand the world through concepts and categorization in their daily lives and act based on this understanding. However, this process goes beyond a simple tool of perception and has a profound influence on our way of thinking, culture, and social interactions. For example, when we use the concept of “city,” it goes beyond the simple meaning of a place where many people live together and becomes a complex concept that includes various cultural, economic, and social characteristics. Therefore, although different areas belonging to the category of “city” can be understood differently according to their characteristics, certain expectations and norms apply to them because they belong to the common category of “city.”
So what are concepts and categories? A concept is a universal idea that abstracts and synthesizes the common attributes of specific objects, events, or symbolic entities, while a category can be described as a class or range of things with the same properties. Concepts consist of inclusions and exclusions. The intension refers to all the necessary properties that are common to all objects belonging to the scope of application of a concept. For example, in the case of the word “living thing,” the intension is “an entity that has life and carries out life phenomena.” On the other hand, the extension refers to the entire scope of objects that the concept can refer to. The extension of the word “living thing” is all objects that can be referred to by the concept of “living thing,” that is, animals, plants, etc. This shows that extension is related to categorization.
Categorization is the process of determining whether a specific case is a member of a specific category and whether a specific concept is a subset of another concept. Categorization is hierarchical. For example, the subcategory “small drum” is a subset of the parent category “drum,” and “drum” is a subset of the higher-level parent category “percussion instrument.” This categorization greatly helps humans to distinguish, understand, infer, and remember objects and phenomena. If people perceived each new experience as unique based on its individual characteristics, they would be overwhelmed by the vast variety of experiences and would be unable to remember most of what they encountered. Furthermore, if they perceived all objects they encountered as having characteristics unlike anything they had experienced before, they would be unable to give meaning to their experiences and would be unable to benefit from them.
Categorization divides things and phenomena that occur around us into meaningful units, allowing us to understand and explain them, and even predict future events related to those things and phenomena. For example, if a person knows that coniferous trees have needle-like leaves and are resistant to dryness and cold, and then sees a tree with needle-like leaves while traveling in the fall, they will categorize that tree as a coniferous tree and predict that it will withstand the harsh cold of winter.
This process of categorization also plays an important role in scientific inquiry. For example, biologists can understand the diversity of life and study it systematically by categorizing species. Biological taxonomy classifies various species according to their lineage, which aids in biological research and conservation activities. This is an essential tool for humans to understand nature and protect and manage various ecosystems based on that understanding.
Categorization is a useful tool that has been used by humans to accumulate knowledge for a long time, but when we become accustomed to making judgments based on categorization, we may rush to categorize and make wrong judgments. For example, we often see people in our daily lives attributing certain characteristics to people from certain regions. However, this can be prejudiced because not all people from that region have the same characteristics. Therefore, in order to reduce errors in judgment, it is necessary to be able to categorize by considering various factors.
In addition, categorization plays an important role in education and learning. When students learn new concepts, they categorize new information based on their existing knowledge in order to understand it. This helps them form a conceptual framework during the learning process. For example, when a student studying physics encounters the concept of “force” for the first time, they think of various examples of force they have experienced in their daily lives and categorize them as “force.” This makes it easier to understand and apply new academic concepts.
In conclusion, categorization plays a very important role in human cognition. It greatly helps us structure and understand the world and is essential for efficiently processing and remembering experiences. However, categorization should be approached with caution, as overuse or hasty application can lead to bias and misunderstanding. Therefore, while maximizing the benefits of categorization, we must also be mindful of its limitations and risks.
Human history and culture have developed through categorization. Early humans categorized things to distinguish between what was edible and inedible, and what was dangerous and safe, in order to survive. Categorization still plays an important role in modern society. For example, in medicine, diseases are categorized to diagnose and determine treatment methods, and in psychology, human behavior and personality are categorized for research and treatment. These processes contribute to making our lives safer and more prosperous.
Therefore, while recognizing the usefulness of categorization, we must also be aware of its limitations. Categorization is an essential tool for understanding and communicating with the world, but it is not always perfect. We must constantly strive to reduce errors in categorization and make more accurate and fair judgments. These efforts will contribute to creating a better society and expanding human knowledge through deeper understanding.
