noun
- the philosophical theory that abstract concepts, general terms, or universals have no independent existence but exist only as names
Usage: philosophy
Examples
- Medieval nominalism challenged the idea that universal concepts like ‘beauty’ exist independently.
- According to nominalism, the word ‘red’ is just a label we apply to certain objects.
- The debate between nominalism and realism has persisted for centuries in philosophy.
- Ockham’s nominalism argued that only individual things truly exist.
- Students of philosophy must understand the distinction between nominalism and conceptualism.
- Nominalism suggests that categories are human constructions rather than natural divisions.