Universals: An Opinionated IntroductionIn this short text, a distinguished philosopher turns his attention to one of the oldest and most fundamental philosophical problems of all: How it is that we are able to sort and classify different things as being of the same natural class? Professor Armstrong carefully sets out six major theories—ancient, modern, and contemporary—and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each. Recognizing that there are no final victories or defeats in metaphysics, Armstrong nonetheless defends a traditional account of universals as the most satisfactory theory we have.This study is written for advanced students, but as Armstrong goes considerably beyond his earlier work on this topic, it will interest professional scholars as well. Carefully plotted and clearly written, Universals is both a paradigm of exposition and a case study on the value of careful analysis of fundamental issues in philosophy. |
Contents
THE PROBLEM | 1 |
PRIMITIVE NATURAL CLASSES | 21 |
VI The Causal Argument | 28 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
a's being F Abstract Particulars admit properties affairs analysis analyze Anthony Quinton argue argument Bare Particulars Bundle theory bundles of universals causal Chapter class membership Class Nominalism Class Nominalist classes of tropes coextensive color complete complex complex of compresence Consider constituents degrees of resemblance difficulty distinction distributive unity entities exact exactly resembling tropes exist fundamental G. F. Stout H. H. Price higher-order types Identity of Indiscernibles instance involve mass mereology Natural Class theory notion object ontological orange particularized nature perhaps philosophers Plato possible world postulate predicate primitive Problem of Universals properties and relations property tropes Quinton Realism red things regress relation of resemblance relational properties Resemblance Nominalism Resemblance Nominalist resemblance of universals resemblance relations Resemblance theory resembling things Section seems sort strictly identical substance substance-attribute view substratum Suppose symmetrical relation theorist theory of universals thick particular tokens Trope theory uninstantiated universals Universals theory