All relations among men are determined by the varying degrees of this incompleteness. Whatever the cause of this incompleteness, its consequence is a generalization of the psychological picture that we have of another, a generalization that results in a blurring of contours which adds a relation to other pictures to the uniqueness of this one. … We think of him in terms not only of his singularity but also in terms of a general category. This category, of course, does not fully cover him, nor does he fully cover it. It is this peculiarly incomplete coincidence which distinguishes the relation between a human category and a human singularity from the relation which usually exists between a general concept and the particular instance it covers.

XREF: Connects to sociological and philosophical discussions of stereotype, ideal type (Weber), and social categories — how categories never fully capture individuals.

DEFINE: This is the author's core definition of the human category-singularity distinction, which lies at the heart of prejudice and stereotyping. Builds on: "We cannot fully re-create the individuality of another person."

Georg Simmel, on individuality and social…, loc. 174