Full Idea
I shall beg off talking of a) whether genera and species are real or situated in bare thoughts alone, b) whether as real they are bodies or incorporeals, and c) whether they are separated or in sensibles and have their reality in connection with them.
Gist of Idea
Are genera and species real or conceptual? bodies or incorporeal? in sensibles or separate from them?
Source
Porphyry (Isagoge ('Introduction') [c.295], (2))
Book Reference
'Five Texts on Medieval Prob of Universals', ed/tr. Spade,Paul Vincent [Hackett 1994], p.1
A Reaction
This passage, picking up on Aristotle, seems to be the original source that grew into the medievel debate about universals. It seems to rather neatly lay out the agenda for the universals debate which is still with us.