Question

As someone who appreciates William of Occam's eponymous legacy (as I hope most people should, whether they know it by name or not), I was reading more about his life and discovered that his other legacy, arguably lesser known, was a metaphysical theory knows as nominalism. I will say that I was far less impressed by it than by the Razor.

Answer 1

William of Occam's concept of nominalism holds that only individual objects are real and universal abstractions are non-existent, contrasting with the ideals of Plato and Aristotle regarding universal forms.

Step-by-step explanation:

William of Occam and Nominalism

William of Occam is widely recognized for Occam's Razor, but he also contributed substantially to metaphysical theory through his doctrine of nominalism. Nominalism challenges the existence of universal abstractions such as universals or forms, positing instead that only particular, individual objects are real and that universals are merely names without any corresponding reality. This posits a direct contrast to the Theory of the Forms of Plato, which suggests that non-material abstract forms possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality.

Aristotle's contributions to metaphysics laid the groundwork for subsequent philosophical inquiry. His attention to empiricism and observation influenced the Scientific Revolution, and his focus on the unchanging aspect of reality echoes in nominalism, which denies the independent existence of universals—unchanging entities that Plato and followers believed to be more real than individual objects.

In essence, nominalism stands at one end of a philosophical spectrum regarding universals—with realism on the opposite end, as advocated by Plato, Aristotle, and others. Occam's nominalism has had a profound impact, furthering the debate on the nature of universals and reality in metaphysics.