back to ideas for this text


Single Idea 15453

[from 'Comment on Armstrong and Forrest' by David Lewis, in 8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 1. Universals ]

Full Idea

The leading rivals to a theory of universals are resemblance or natural-class nominalism, or sparse trope theory.

Gist of Idea

The main rivals to universals are resemblance or natural-class nominalism, or sparse trope theory

Source

David Lewis (Comment on Armstrong and Forrest [1986], p.110)

Book Reference

Lewis,David: 'Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology' [CUP 1999], p.110


A Reaction

If that is the complete menu, I choose resemblance nominalism. All discussion of properties in terms of classes is wildly misguided (because properties come first). Why not 'natural' tropes?