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Literary notes about Association (AI summary)

The term "association" in literature takes on a dual character, serving both to denote formal organizations and to represent the linking of ideas and experiences. On one hand, authors refer to associations as tangible groups that play significant roles in civic, political, or economic activities, as seen in discussions of coffee affairs ([1]), organizational leadership ([2]), and even political obligations ([3], [4], [5]). On the other hand, the word is employed to capture the abstract process by which thoughts and personal impressions connect in the human mind, a concept elaborated by writers like Hume and James ([6], [7], [8], [9]). This dual usage underscores a broader literary and philosophical exploration: while associations as bodies provide structure and collective identity, the association of ideas reveals the intricate workings of memory, perception, and emotion ([10], [11]). Such versatility makes the term an invaluable tool in both narrative construction and theoretical analysis, weaving together the concrete and the conceptual in a manner that enriches the text's overall meaning.
  1. Victor Engelhard, Sr., was prominent in coffee affairs and in the early work of the National Coffee Roasters Association.
    — from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers
  2. The Secretary shall be the active executive officer of the Association.
    — from Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 44th Annual Meeting
  3. What is the end of political association?
    — from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  4. " The State convention met in Association Hall, Albany, February 14, 1854.
    — from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper
  5. Membership in this Association shall be open to all persons interested in supporting the purposes of the Association.
    — from Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 44th Annual Meeting
  6. a principle of association of ideas, 19 , 43 ; sole foundation of reasonings about matter of fact or real existence, 22 .
    — from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume
  7. But it is true that this association is the simple product of an association of ideas by similarity.
    — from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim
  8. The pair of thoughts will form an instance of what is called ' Association by Similarity .'
    — from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James
  9. The association of words with their meanings must have grown up by some natural process, though at present the nature of the process is unknown.
    — from The Analysis of Mind by Bertrand Russell
  10. When the object is present, it may itself be taken as the cause of the word, through association.
    — from The Analysis of Mind by Bertrand Russell
  11. I laughingly expressed my satisfaction, but I must confess that I thought this association of ideas significant.
    — from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

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