The medieval dispute about universals: between realism, nominalism and conceptualism
Entre o realismo, nominalismo e conceptualismo
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25247/P1982-999X.2025.v25n3.p05-23Keywords:
realism, nominalism, conceptualism, problem of universalsAbstract
The logical-linguistic controversies that occurred in the Scholastic period led medieval thinkers to the philosophical problem of universals. This article aims to discuss three of the main responses given to this controversy. It is argued that the opposition between realists and nominalists was the backdrop for the conceptualist position. To this end, we will initially show a brief historical-conceptual trajectory of the problem; then, we will describe some central elements of the solutions presented, namely, the proposal of realism and nominalism, presented in the person of William of Champeaux and Roscelin of Compiègne, respectively, as well as the great influence that these solutions exerted on conceptualism, represented in this text by Aberlad.
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