nominalism
Universals are words
Nominalism is a philosophical position holding that abstract concepts, general terms, and universals have no independent existence—only individual, particular things are real.
The word "red" doesn't refer to some abstract redness existing in the universe; it's just a name we apply to similar-looking things.
Nominalism opposes realism, which holds that universals exist independently of the particulars that instantiate them.
The debate traces to medieval philosophy but remains relevant in discussions of mathematics, science, and language.
Properties holding across all
- particularsIndividual facts or details
- realismAccepting things as they are
- PlatonismPhilosophy emphasizing ideal Forms
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
properties · individuals · instances · conceptualism · predicates · essences · existence · categories
Personal identifying words
- labelsIdentifying markers attached to items
- termsConditions of an agreement
- designationFormal name or title
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
conventions · linguistic · signifier · denotation · reference · words · symbols · signs
Distilling to essential qualities
- conceptsAbstract mental constructs
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
- categoriesGroups of related things
cognition · meaning · reference · language · thought · mental · representation · knowledge
Accepting things as they are
- essentialismDoctrine of fixed natures
- PlatonismPhilosophy emphasizing ideal Forms
- universalismDoctrine of total reconciliation
- conceptualismUniversals as mental constructs
idealism · materialism · empiricism · pragmatism · positivism · naturalism · physicalism · particularism
universals
Properties holding across all
- particularsIndividual facts or details
- realismAccepting things as they are
- PlatonismPhilosophy emphasizing ideal Forms
ontology · properties · individuals · instances · conceptualism · predicates · essences · existence · categories · substance
names
Personal identifying words
- labelsIdentifying markers attached to items
- termsConditions of an agreement
- designationFormal name or title
classification · conventions · linguistic · signifier · denotation · reference · words · symbols · signs · arbitrary
abstraction
Distilling to essential qualities
- conceptsAbstract mental constructs
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
categories · cognition · meaning · reference · language · thought · mental · representation · knowledge · perception
scholasticism
Rigorous dialectical learning method
- medieval philosophyMiddle Ages intellectual inquiry
realism
Accepting things as they are
- essentialismDoctrine of fixed natures
- PlatonismPhilosophy emphasizing ideal Forms
- universalismDoctrine of total reconciliation
conceptualism · idealism · materialism · empiricism · pragmatism · positivism · naturalism · physicalism · particularism
- ismscapitalism, socialism, communism, anarchism, racism
- Ideasidealism, materialism, empiricism, rationalism, liberalism
- metaphysicsessence, being, reality, existence, substance theory
- philosophiesempiricism, stoicism, nihilism, idealism, materialism
- philosophyethics, logic, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology
- -ismsatomism, postmodernism, feminism, Marxism, Darwinism
nominalismPlatonism
Philosophy emphasizing ideal Forms
realism · universalism · essentialism · idealism · transcendentalism