Abstraction: The Power and Danger of What We Ignore

Abstraction helps us uncover the common structure beneath distracting details. But when we apply it to human beings, choosing what to ignore becomes an ethical responsibility. Drawing on Eugenia Cheng’s concepts of ingressive and congressive behavior, this reflection asks how abstraction can clarify our thinking about gender, competition, community, and fairness—and how it can conceal the people who disappear from our models.