more from this thinker     |     more from this text

Single Idea 10534

[filed under theme 8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / a. Nominalism ]

Full Idea

The original sense of 'nominalism' is the denial of universals, that is the denial of reference to either predicates or to abstract nouns. The modern sense (of Nelson Goodman) is the denial of the existence of abstract objects.

Gist of Idea

'Nominalism' used to mean denial of universals, but now means denial of abstract objects

Source

Michael Dummett (Frege Philosophy of Language (2nd ed) [1973], Ch.14)

Book Ref

Dummett,Michael: 'Frege Philosophy of Language' [Duckworth 1981], p.473

A Reaction

This is why you find loads of modern philosophers vigorous attacking nominalism, only to gradually realise that they don't actually believe in universals, as traditionally understood. It's hard to keep up, when words shift their meaning.

The 17 ideas with the same theme [general ideas about nominalism]:

15386 If only the singular exists, science is impossible, as that relies on true generalities [Duns Scotus, by Panaccio]
15387 If things were singular they would only differ numerically, but horse and tulip differ more than that [Duns Scotus, by Panaccio]
16639 Only individual bodies exist [Bacon]
8494 Obviously 'Socrates is wise' and 'Socrates has wisdom' express the same fact [Ramsey]
10151 I am a deeply convinced nominalist [Tarski]
8505 Refusal to explain why different tokens are of the same type is to be an ostrich [Armstrong]
18957 Nominalism only makes sense if it is materialist [Putnam]
10534 'Nominalism' used to mean denial of universals, but now means denial of abstract objects [Dummett]
9880 Nominalism assumes unmediated mental contact with objects [Dummett]
11913 For nominalists, predicate extensions are inexplicable facts [Molnar]
11962 Nominalists only accept first-order logic [Molnar]
10744 Nominalism can reject abstractions, or universals, or sets [Oliver]
8961 Nominalists are motivated by Ockham's Razor and a distrust of unobservables [Hoffman/Rosenkrantz]
4482 Austere nominalism has to take a host of things (like being red, or human) as primitive [Loux]
21633 Nominalists suspect that properties etc are our projections, and could have been different [Williamson]
9435 A 'porridge' nominalist thinks we just divide reality in any way that suits us [Mumford]
4459 Moderate nominalism attempts to embrace the existence of properties while avoiding universals [Moreland]