A method for recognizing an object that has a plurality of expressions of abstract object characteristics, and is associated with an object characteristic class of a hierarchical system of object characteristic classes stored in a first memory. The method includes i) observing at least one location at which the object is presumed to be present, using a plurality of sensors in a sensor population, each of said sensors responding to at least one object characteristic and accordingly emitting a sensor signal; ii) checking whether each of the emitted sensor signals exceeds a specified threshold value for the sensor signals, and accepting sensor signals which exceed the threshold value; iii) pairing combinations of the sensor characteristics, for the accepted sensor signals obtained in ii) to form identification characteristic pairs; iv) comparing the population of identification characteristic pairs obtained in iii) to the object characteristic classes stored in the first memory; and v) identifying the object, based on the object characteristic class, whose object characteristic pairs are identical to the identification characteristic pairs obtained in iii).