Ontology Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Particulars and universals === [[Particular]]s or individuals are usually contrasted with [[Universal (metaphysics)|universals]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Honderich |first=Ted |title=The Oxford Companion to Philosophy |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://philpapers.org/rec/HONTOC-2 |chapter=particulars and non-particulars}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Craig |first=Edward |title=Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy |date=1996 |publisher=Routledge |url=https://philpapers.org/rec/BEAREO |chapter=Particulars}}</ref> Universals concern features that can be exemplified by various different particulars.<ref name="MacLeod">{{cite web |last=MacLeod |first=Mary C. |title=Universals |url=https://iep.utm.edu/universa/ |website=Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref> For example, a tomato and a strawberry are two particulars that exemplify the universal redness. Universals can be present at various distinct locations in space at the same time while particulars are restricted to one location at a time. Furthermore, universals can be fully present at different times, which is why they are sometimes referred to as ''repeatables'' in contrast to non-repeatable particulars.<ref name="Sandkühler2"/> The so-called [[problem of universals]] is the problem to explain how different things can agree in their features, e.g., how a tomato and a strawberry can both be red.<ref name="Borchert2"/><ref name="MacLeod"/> [[Problem of universals#realism|Realists]] believe that there are universals. They can solve the ''problem of universals'' by explaining the commonality through a universal shared by both entities.<ref name="Sandkühler2"/> Realists are divided among themselves as to whether universals can exist independently of being exemplified by something ("''ante res''") or not ("''in rebus''").<ref>{{cite web |title=Realism – Universals |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/realism-philosophy/Universals |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=4 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref> [[Nominalism|Nominalists]], on the other hand, deny that there are universals. They use other notions to explain how a feature can be common to several entities, for example, by positing either fundamental resemblance-relations between the entities (resemblance nominalism) or a shared membership to a common natural class (class nominalism).<ref name="Sandkühler2"/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page