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
In this paper I shall consider Spinoza’s argument offered in the second Scholium to Proposition 8, which argues for the impossibility of two substances sharing the same nature. I shall first begin by explaining, in detail, the two-step structure of the argument and proceed accordingly by offering a structured account of its relation to the main claim. Consequently I shall point out what I reasonably judge to be a mistake in Spinoza’s line of reasoning; that is, that the definition of a thing does not express a fixed number of individuals under that definition. By contrast, I hope to motivate the claim that a true definition of a thing does in fact express a fixed number of individuals that fall under that definition. I shall then present a difficulty against my view and concede in its insufficiency to block Spinoza’s conclusion. Finally, I shall resort to a second objection in the attempt to prove an instance by which two substances contain a similar attribute, yet differ in nature. Under these considerations, I conclude that Spinoza’s thesis is mistaken.
American Philosophical Quarterly 21, no. 3 (1984): 227-36.
Gender Emergence in England’s History. "Historicizing Patriarchy: The Emergence of Gender Difference in England, 1660-1760" by Michael McKeon is a powerful and original hypothesis as to "how and why the modern system of gender difference was established during the English Restoration and eighteenth century" (295). McKeon, a professor of English literature at Rutgers University, is also the author of several essays, including "Politics and Poetry in Restoration England" and "Origins of the English Novel. " McKeon uses the term 'patriarchalism' because it attaches itself to a "traditional regime" which will in later centuries be replaced by the "modern conception of gender" (296).
This paper aims to endorse physicalism over dualism by means of Smart’s concept of identity theory. Smart’s article Sensations and the Brain provides a strong argument for identity theory and accounts for many of it primary objections. Here I plan to first discuss the main arguments for physicalism over dualism, then more specific arguments for identity theory, and finish with further criticisms of identity theory.
Accordingly, all that is needed for an individual to possess and maintain his personal identity are certain mental capacitates for having conscious experiences, the examples of thoughts and sensation are given, and the ability to perform intentional actions. It this portion of the theory, a departure from the traditional Aristotelian view of substances is made. The original viewpoint of Aristotelian forms can apply only to inanimate objects, which have no personal identity, in this dualist theory, if the arguments illustrating that two people can be the same person, even if the is no continuity between the physical matter of each body are correct. Consequently, for two substances to be considered the same, in this reformed view, they
Wittgenstein, Ludwig; G. E. M. Anscombe, P.M.S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte (eds. and trans.). Philosophical Investigations. 4th edition, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.
"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Beauvoir, Simone de []. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
After reviewing the skepticisms that arise from the standard philosophical approach, Davidson suggests that we need a theory that will accommodate all three models while making sense of their relationships among each other; anything else will leave us with the question: how can we know the world in three completely different ways? Davidson’s argument begins with an exploration of why the three kinds of knowledge are each in their own right necessary and irreducible to the other two forms. His argument is on the basis that we simply could not go on without knowledge of the mental states of others, or knowledge of our own mental states.
The constant interaction with groups of people who’s lifestyles were very different led Europeans to believe that they were a different "kind" of people. Scientists worked on and created many different ways to classify the different people they found. This unrefined method of categorization was the origin of a new culture-oriented taxonomic system for human beings. The system is based on the "Great Chain of Being," which is a way of classifying things according to...
At the universal level, all individuals are like all other individuals in some respects. All human beings share common characteristics such as birth, biology, love, death, self-awareness, and language.
My article is about Boethius’ problem of universals wherein the sense of this topic is to give emphasis on what should be God’s category, is it universal or particular? According to Boethius, universal is synonymous with the word general for it describes a whole of individuals, is accompanied through thinking and only exist in our minds. On the other hand, the individual things or particulars are those that exist outside of our minds that is specific or certain and is accompanied by the sense of sight. In the middle of Boethius problem of universals he came up with a question of, does the universals only exist in our minds or there is a thing outside
“In the place where idealism and realism meet, that is where there is the greatest evolutionary tension.” Idealism prioritizes ideals, social reforms and morals, by wanting to benefit not just yourself, but the world around you, believing people are generally good. On the contrary, realism gives priority to national interest and security with emphasis on promoting one’s own power and influence by assuming that people are egocentric by nature. Based on the definitions stated above, idealism and realism are significantly different from each other and their divergence of thought is more apparent when various proponents of each such as Woodrow Wilson, Henry Lodge, Barack Obama and George W. Bush have varied outlooks on comparable issues in politics. Subsequently, an idealist’s reaction to a particular issue would be a lot different than a realist’s response. Therefore, idealism deals with normative ideas and allows for improvements in the progress of not only a single state, but the whole world, however realism solely focuses on the benefits of one’s own nation.
This paper discusses how cosmology and how philosophy can be connected to one another. In order to explain this reason, the paper is broken down into three subtitles which are: metaphysics, religion, and ontology. Each part connects to cosmology in one term or another. In each subtopic, it will discuss the topic, its background in the philosophical review. As a result, in the conclusion, it will discuss how cosmology compares to them all.
However, it is notoriously difficult to say what an ever-changing universe has to do with an unchanging Reality. Additionally, the contingent world we know is morally and aesthetically imperfect, to say the least. It follows that Reality, by contrast, must be supremely good and beautiful. This strand goes right back to Plato, and the idea that there exists a world that is more ‘real’ and more ‘true’ and the ‘so-called’ real world we inhabit in our embodied state. This is the world of the perfect Forms, but their relation to the particulars of which they are the Forms is difficult to describe adequately. How can two things that have absolutely nothing in common be related to each other in any way
... Since we are all unique, we all have a precise and specific “imprinting protocol” that makes us human. Finding our exact “imprint” is “the mystery of the human person” (Cortez, 93). But, “the emergence of higher-level properties and complex systems with novel properties. cannot be comprehensively understood in lower-level terms alone,” affirming that what defines a physical being as being “human,” or what delineates David as a “real boy” is ultimately abstract and unknown (Cortez, 94).