Hochberg-Armstrong objection The worry is that in Resemblance Nominalism, one fact can be a truthmaker for more than one proposition. For example, 1) p1 and p2 are absolutely similar particulars; 2) p1 and p2 are distinct.
What is a nominalism in philosophy?
Nominalism, coming from the Latin word nominalis meaning “of or pertaining to names”, is the ontological theory that reality is only made up of particular items. It denies the real existence of any general entities such as properties, species, universals, sets, or other categories.
What is the problem with universals?
The problem of universals is an ancient question from metaphysics that has inspired a range of philosophical topics and disputes: Should the properties an object has in common with other objects, such as color and shape, be considered to exist beyond those objects?
Was Aristotle a Nominalist?
Accordingly Aristotle ends up being a sort of nominalist in his study of being qua being —yet a peculiar sort of nominalist . For the mental states themselves reflect the real structure of the aspects. The states of mind are not merely mental but point to, or intend, things that are not mental.
Who created Nominalism?
In medieval philosophy, the French philosopher and theologian Roscellinus (c. 1050 – c. 1125) was an early, prominent proponent of nominalism. Nominalist ideas can be found in the work of Peter Abelard and reached their flowering in William of Ockham, who was the most influential and thorough nominalist.
What is wrong with nominalism?
According to Class Nominalism properties are classes of things, and so the property of being scarlet is the class of all and only scarlet things. One problem with this theory is that no two classes can have the same members, while it does not seem that properties with the same instances need be the same.
What is Ockham’s main thesis in nominalism?
In metaphysics, Ockham champions nominalism, the view that universal essences, such as humanity or whiteness, are nothing more than concepts in the mind. He develops an Aristotelian ontology, admitting only individual substances and qualities.
What was heretical in William of Ockham’s thinking?
Once a Catholic becomes a heretic, according to Ockham, the individual is no longer a genuine Catholic, because he doesn’t believe the Catholic truths.
What is the difference between realism and nominalism?
Realism is the philosophical position that posits that universals are just as real as physical, measurable material. Nominalism is the philosophical position that promotes that universal or abstract concepts do not exist in the same way as physical, tangible material.