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Literary notes about IDEAS (AI summary)

In literature the word “ideas” is employed with remarkable versatility, ranging from lofty abstractions to everyday notions. In classical texts, ideas often signal universal or categorical forms; for instance, in Plato’s Meno they are depicted as the general categories under which individual entities are classified [1]. In rhetorical contexts, ideas can be the “mountain peak words” that loom large in a speech’s structure, emphasizing core themes and arguments [2]. Philosophers like John Locke and Arthur Schopenhauer further refine the concept: Locke examines how our understanding is built from simple and compound ideas drawn from sensation and reflection [3, 4], while Schopenhauer contrasts his doctrine of Ideas with that of Plato, highlighting a different metaphysical approach [5]. Meanwhile, in narrative literature, ideas often serve as indicators of character thought or creative spark—ranging from the transformative “ideas of vengeance” [6] to the amusing dismissal of “little ideas” whose impact is unexpectedly nullified [7]. This multiplicity of meanings enriches literary discourse, transforming ideas into both the building blocks of intellectual inquiry and the reflections of everyday experience.
  1. In the tenth book they are represented as the genera or general ideas under which individuals having a common name are contained.
    — from Meno by Plato
  2. In almost every sentence there are a few MOUNTAIN PEAK WORDS that represent the big, important ideas.
    — from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein
  3. These Instances to show how our Ideas of the Passions are got from Sensation and Reflection.
    — from An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1 by John Locke
  4. SIMPLE IDEAS. 1. Uncompounded Appearances.
    — from An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1 by John Locke
  5. We may take this opportunity of mentioning another point in which our doctrine of Ideas differs very much from that of Plato.
    — from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer
  6. I have learned all this since yesterday, and it has turned my ideas of vengeance into more humane feelings.
    — from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant
  7. I could not help rejoicing that, for once, one of his “little ideas” had come to naught.
    — from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

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