general idea, n.All

A General idea (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠pictured as a Galtonian composite photograph, of a leaf say, holding only what all leaves share: the fantasy that meaning is an image.

A General idea (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠enter the mind only with the help of words, which is why animals without speech never reach the perfectibility that depends on it.