Looking just at these groups of abstractions, a few things stand out to me:
– There is a heavy emphasis on formal systems and methods, including mathematical, logical, and analytical approaches. Groups like mathematical formalisms, formal methods, information theory, and even conceptual frameworks rely on precise definitions and formal reasoning.
– Several groups deal with modeling and understanding complexity, either in physical systems or abstract spaces. Complex systems, information theory, and metaphysics grapple with emergent complexity.
– Knowledge representation and categorization seem to be a core focus that spans cognitive science, conceptual frameworks, and qualitative methods. Developing frameworks to conceptualize, classify, and reason about knowledge appears important.
– There is a dichotomy between quantitative, formal methods and more qualitative, humanistic approaches. Groups like formal methods and information theory contrast with qualitative methods and obscre biology.
– The boundaries between scientific domains are blurred, with combinations of math, physics, philosophy, linguistics, and other disciplines in many groups. The abstractions seem to bridge disparate fields.
– There seems to be a notion of peering behind the curtain at deep structures and processes below the surface. Chaos, metaphysics, post-structuralism and other abstractions try to expose hidden mechanisms.
Overall, modeling complexity, knowledge representation, and exploring the fuzzy boundaries between formal and subjective methods appear to be common themes among these abstract groups. They seem to represent ways of expanding conceptual horizons.