Nominalism is a philosophical current that developed in the Middle Ages and has different aspects and interpretations. In this glossary, we will explore the concept of nominalism in philosophy, its main characteristics and some of the main currents that fit into this perspective.
What is nominalism?
Nominalism is a philosophical current that opposes realism and conceptualism. While realism argues for the existence of universal entities and conceptualism believes that universals are just mental concepts, nominalism denies the existence of universals and asserts that only concrete individuals exist.
According to nominalism, universals are just names or terms that we use to group similar individuals. For example, when we say that something is “red”, we are just using a term to describe a characteristic that is shared by several objects, but there is no universal entity “red” that exists on its own.
Origins of nominalism
Nominalism has its roots in medieval philosophy, especially debates about the nature of universals. One of the main names associated with nominalism is the English philosopher William of Ockham, who lived in the XNUMXth century. Ockham was a fierce critic of realism and defended a radical nominalist position.
Another important philosopher for the development of nominalism was Roscelino de Compiègne, who lived in the XNUMXth century. Roscelino was one of the first to formulate the nominalist position clearly and influenced many later philosophers.
Main nominalist currents
Within nominalism, there are different currents and interpretations. Some of the main ones are:
Extreme nominalism
Extreme nominalism, also known as radical nominalism, is the most radical position within nominalism. This current denies the existence of any type of universal, including linguistic universals. For extreme nominalists, only concrete individuals exist.
Moderate nominalism
Moderate nominalism, in turn, accepts the existence of linguistic universals, that is, it believes that universals are just names or terms that we use to describe characteristics shared by different objects. However, moderate nominalism denies the existence of extralinguistic universals, that is, universals that exist independently of our language.
Ontological nominalism
Ontological nominalism is a current that developed in the XNUMXth century and which defends the existence of universals, but denies that they are independent entities. According to ontological nominalism, universals are just patterns or structures that exist in individual things.
Metaphysical nominalism
Metaphysical nominalism is a current that developed from the XNUMXth century onwards and which denies the existence of any type of universal. For metaphysical nominalists, only concrete individuals exist and there is nothing beyond that.
Criticisms of nominalism
Nominalism has been the target of various criticisms throughout the history of philosophy. One of the main criticisms is the difficulty of explaining the relationship between concrete individuals and universals. If only concrete individuals exist, how can we explain the similarity between them?
Another criticism of nominalism is the difficulty of explaining the possibility of human knowledge. If there are no universals, how can we know and generalize about the world?
Conclusion
Nominalism is a philosophical current that denies the existence of universals and states that only concrete individuals exist. There are several currents and interpretations within nominalism, from extreme nominalism, which denies the existence of any type of universal, to ontological nominalism, which defends the existence of universals as patterns or structures in individual things. However, nominalism has also been the target of criticism, especially in relation to the explanation of the similarity between individuals and the possibility of human knowledge.
