Difference Between Realism And Nominalism

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The problem of universals has been one of the most debated topics in philosophy. This problem has been the topic of many great works and thinkers dating back to ancient Greece with Aristotle and Socrates all the way up to modern times. There are two extremes in which individuals agree with, that of realism, and that of nominalism. Several philosophers fall somewhere in-between these extremes, but all ultimately choose a side. To begin in this conversation the terms nominalism, realism and universals must first be explained. We will then look into some of the beliefs of each, and I will explain why I believe nominalism to be the correct view. Everything in this world is categorized by humans. When I mention the word “tree” an image comes to mind. Usually this image is unique for each individual, but contains some key …show more content…

In other words, all things are made after one universal thing such as all bottle palm trees are palm trees because the existence of a palm tree makes itself known through the various types of particular palm trees, bottle palms included. The universal “palm tree” manifests itself in all of the forms of the particular “palm trees”. Nominalists on the other hand, believe that there is no tangible existence of universals without the particular. The world does not contain the universal “palm tree”, only particular ones. Their logic is the opposite of their realist counterparts. They believe that universals are only identified after similarities and differences are made between like objects (bottle palm trees and coconut palm trees). These observations create the universal which are used to separate them from other universals (palm trees and berry bushes). Realists say that the particulars are due to the existence of a universal, while nominalists say that universals are due to the existence of

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