Specialization
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Concept B is a specialization of concept A if and only if:
- every instance of concept B is also an instance of concept A; and
- there are instances of concept A which are not instances of concept B.
For instance, 'Bird' is a specialization of 'Animal' because every bird is an animal, and there are animals which are not birds (dogs, for instance).
In logic, specialization occurs when you take a statement such as:
- "All cars are red"
And use it to derive statements such as:
- "My car is red"
- "Fred's car is red"
Specialization is an important way to generate propositional knowledge, by applying general knowledge, such as the theory of gravity, to specific instances, such as "when I release this apple, it will fall to the floor".
Generalization is the opposite of specialization
See also: Specialization (functional), Cell specialization