Idea

The Problem of Universals

Is 'redness' a real thing, or just a word we use for things that happen to be red? Abelard, Aquinas, and Ockham each gave different answers.

Thinkers Who Shaped This Idea

Rome & the Stoics· 106 BCE–485 CE

Porphyry

c. 234 CE – c. 305 CE

Medieval Europe· 354–1349 CE

Peter Abelard

1079 CE – 1142 CE

Thomas Aquinas

1225 CE – 1274 CE

Duns Scotus

c. 1266 CE – 1308 CE

William of Ockham

c. 1287 CE – c. 1347 CE