Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Idealism: a critical survey', 'Prologue to Ordinatio' and 'Ordinatio'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts


1 idea

18. Thought / E. Abstraction / 2. Abstracta by Selection
A universal is the result of abstraction, which is only a kind of mental picturing [William of Ockham]
     Full Idea: A universal is not the result of generation, but of abstraction, which is only a kind of mental picturing.
     From: William of Ockham (Ordinatio [1320], DII Qviii prima redactio)
     A reaction: The phrase 'mental picturing' works very plausibly for the universal 'giraffe', but not so well for 'multiplication' or 'contradiction'. Though we might broaden 'picturing' to being a much less visual concept. Mapping seems basic.