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Single Idea 11379

[filed under theme 8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 1. Universals ]

Full Idea

The substance of each thing is something that is peculiar to each thing, not pertaining to anything else, whereas the universal is something common. Indeed, a thing is said to be a universal just if its nature pertains to a plurality.

Gist of Idea

Substance is not a universal, as the former is particular but a universal is shared

Source

Aristotle (Metaphysics [c.324 BCE], 1038b10)

Book Ref

Aristotle: 'Metaphysics', ed/tr. Lawson-Tancred,Hugh [Penguin 1998], p.216

A Reaction

This should be a warning to those who talk of the 'Aristotelian' view of properties as universals instantiated in the particulars. Once one has pinpointed the substance, the subject of predication, and the essence, no room is left for universals.

The 37 ideas with the same theme [single concepts applying to many things]:

11379 Substance is not a universal, as the former is particular but a universal is shared [Aristotle]
12096 Universals are indeterminate and only known in potential, because they are general [Aristotle, by Witt]
15034 Are genera and species real or conceptual? bodies or incorporeal? in sensibles or separate from them? [Porphyry]
5016 Five universals: genus, species, difference, property, accident [Descartes]
6487 Locke, Berkeley and Hume did no serious thinking about universals [Robinson,H on Locke]
10533 We can't get a semantics from nouns and predicates referring to the same thing [Frege, by Dummett]
5383 Every complete sentence must contain at least one word (a verb) which stands for a universal [Russell]
4428 Propositions express relations (prepositions and verbs) as well as properties (nouns and adjectives) [Russell]
5406 Confused views of reality result from thinking that only nouns and adjectives represent universals [Russell]
4479 All universals are like the relation "is north of", in having no physical location at all [Russell, by Loux]
8495 The distinction between particulars and universals is a mistake made because of language [Ramsey]
8493 We could make universals collections of particulars, or particulars collections of their qualities [Ramsey]
1612 Realism, conceptualism and nominalism in medieval universals reappear in maths as logicism, intuitionism and formalism [Quine]
8506 Particulars and properties are distinguishable, but too close to speak of a relation [Armstrong]
4448 Should we decide which universals exist a priori (through words), or a posteriori (through science)? [Armstrong]
17678 Universals are just the repeatable features of a world [Armstrong]
13573 Universals are all types of natural kind [Ellis]
13572 There are 'substantive' (objects of some kind), 'dynamic' (events of some kind) and 'property' universals [Ellis]
10532 We can understand universals by studying predication [Dummett]
10488 It is lunacy to think we only see ink-marks, and not word-types [Boolos]
15453 The main rivals to universals are resemblance or natural-class nominalism, or sparse trope theory [Lewis]
15746 If particles were just made of universals, similar particles would be the same particle [Lewis]
15745 Universals recur, are multiply located, wholly present, make things overlap, and are held in common [Lewis]
8569 I suspend judgements about universals, but their work must be done [Lewis]
8502 Realism doesn't explain 'a is F' any further by saying it is 'a has F-ness' [Devitt]
10472 'Structural universals' methane and butane are made of the same universals, carbon and hydrogen [Oliver]
4477 Universals come in hierarchies of generality [Loux]
4481 Austere nominalists insist that the realist's universals lack the requisite independent identifiability [Loux]
8288 Sortal terms for universals involve a substance, whereas adjectival terms do not [Lowe]
4197 The category of universals can be sub-divided into properties and relations [Lowe]
10402 Various attempts are made to evade universals being wholly present in different places [Swoyer]
10318 Realists take universals to be the referrents of both adjectives and of nouns [Hale]
10511 It is doubtful if one entity, a universal, can be picked out by both predicates and abstract nouns [Hale]
10521 If F can't have location, there is no problem of things having F in different locations [Hale]
4451 If properties are universals, what distinguishes two things which have identical properties? [Moreland]
4453 One realism is one-over-many, which may be the model/copy view, which has the Third Man problem [Moreland]
4464 Realists see properties as universals, which are single abstract entities which are multiply exemplifiable [Moreland]