Full Idea
Because the same structure can be exemplified by more than one system, a structure is a one-over-many.
Gist of Idea
Because one structure exemplifies several systems, a structure is a one-over-many
Source
Stewart Shapiro (Philosophy of Mathematics [1997], 3.3)
Book Reference
Shapiro,Stewart: 'Philosophy of Mathematics:structure and ontology' [OUP 1997], p.84
A Reaction
The phrase 'one-over-many' is a classic Greek hallmark of a universal. Cf. Idea 10217, where Shapiro talks of arriving at structures by abstraction, through focusing and ignoring. This sounds more like a creation than a platonic universal.
Related Idea
Idea 10217 We can apprehend structures by focusing on or ignoring features of patterns [Shapiro]