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Single Idea 18957
[filed under theme 8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / a. Nominalism
]
Full Idea
Nominalists must at heart be materialists, or so it seems to me: otherwise their scruples are unintelligible.
Gist of Idea
Nominalism only makes sense if it is materialist
Source
Hilary Putnam (Philosophy of Logic [1971], Ch.5)
Book Ref
Putnam,Hilary: 'Philosophy of Logic' [Routledge 1972], p.36
A Reaction
This is modern nominalism - the rejection of abstract objects. I largely plead guilty to both charges.
The
17 ideas
with the same theme
[general ideas about nominalism]:
15387
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If things were singular they would only differ numerically, but horse and tulip differ more than that
[Duns Scotus, by Panaccio]
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15386
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If only the singular exists, science is impossible, as that relies on true generalities
[Duns Scotus, by Panaccio]
|
16639
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Only individual bodies exist
[Bacon]
|
8494
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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
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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
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Austere nominalism has to take a host of things (like being red, or human) as primitive
[Loux]
|
21633
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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
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Moderate nominalism attempts to embrace the existence of properties while avoiding universals
[Moreland]
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