Concept

A concept is a holistic information unit. It cannot be defined by the volume of text, the number of words, or its formal structure. One concept can be very simple, another complex, but in both cases, we are talking about a single independent content.

A concept is not equal to a word. A word is a sign that can be used to designate different contents. The same term can designate several different concepts if different semantic systems stand behind it.

A concept is not equal to a definition. A definition usually only outlines the boundaries of a term, but does not guarantee an understanding of the content itself. A concept must be revealed to such an extent that it can be considered an independent information unit, rather than a label.

A concept is also not equal to the form of expression. The same concept can be revealed through text, a diagram, an example, an experiment, a dialogue, or another method. The form may change, but the content of the concept does not.

A concept does not have to be immediately understood by everyone. This is fundamentally important. There are simple concepts and complex ones. Complexity is determined not only by the content itself, but also by which words, principles, and simpler concepts are already understood by a particular reader.

If a person needs a complex concept, it can be decomposed into simpler component parts, understood, and then returned to the original concept with a sufficient base. This does not mean that a complex concept ceases to be independent or is formally obligated to consist of other concepts. Decomposition is a method of understanding, not a mandatory structure for storing knowledge.

Therefore, Conceptica does not aim to build a complete encyclopedia of all knowledge. This is impossible and unnecessary. We record individual concepts that we ourselves understand and consider useful to transmit to others. At the same time, the value of any concept is relative to the needs of a specific person: even a very complex and scientifically saturated concept may be completely unnecessary to them right now.

A good example of the distinction between a term and a concept is “Systems thinking”. The term itself is widely known and has several different definitions. But different definitions can lead to different independent concepts, because behind the same phrase lie different ways of seeing and describing systems.

This is precisely why a concept is neither a name nor a formulation, but a holistic informational content that can exist in different forms and with varying depths of exploration.