The document discusses different levels of abstraction in object-oriented programming and design. It begins by defining abstraction and explaining why it is important for managing complexity. It then describes 5 levels of abstraction in OO programs from the highest level of interacting objects to the lowest level of individual methods. The document also covers different forms of abstraction like specialization and division into parts, and provides a brief history of abstraction mechanisms in computer science from assembly languages to modern object-oriented programming.