NOMINALISM. This word refers to a celebrated controversy of the middle ages, respecting the nature of our general or abstract ideas. It was contended some that abstractions—as a circle in the abstract, beauty, right—had a real existence apart from round things, beautiful objects, actions. This was called realism. Those that held the opposite view were called Nominalists, because they maintained that there is noth inggeneral but names; the name "circle" is applied to everything that is round, and is a general name; but no independent fact or property exists corresponding to the name. There is nothing in a general name, they say, but a declaration of resemblance among a number of things; all things that the name is applied to, resemble one another in some point, which point of resemblance the mind can consider apart from the points of differ ence; this act of isolated consideration behng what is called the power of abstraction. We can be engaged in thinking of the smell of a rose, we can compare it with othet sweet odors, and speculate as to the nature Of the material that gives the odor, or as to the pleasure that we derive from it; all this is a process of abstract thinking, but it would not of itself suffice to prove that the odor has a separate existence. We might alSo confine our attention to the mere form, or outline of the rose, and compare it with other forms; but we should be still less able to affirm the independent existence of this particular form.
Realism must be traced hack to Plato's system of ideas, or the eternal and independ ent existence of genera] attributes, from winch the concrete embodiments were derived. There existed in the Divine Mind, according to Plato, patterns, models, or archetypes, according to which individuals were formed. The archetype circle was the origin of all
actual round things. Aristotle denied the separate existence of these general forms, and held that they existed only in connection with matter, or with objects in the concrete. The Stoics repudiated uuiversals in both senses. The Aristotelian view constituted the scholastic realism, and prevailed until the 11th c., when a re-action took place in favor of the Stoical doctrine, headed by Roscelin of Compiegne and John the sophist. This was the commencement of Nominalism. The celebrated Abelard was a disciple of Ros celin, and induced large numbers to depart from the realistic notions, which were iden• tilled at the time with religious orthodoxy. The controversy raged with great violence through the 12th century. Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus. in the following century gave their powerful adhesion to realism. In the 14th c. William Ocean), an English Franciscan friar. and a pupil of Scotus, revived the advocacy of .Nominalism, which was once more maintained by a number of eminent men, in spite of thC hostility of the church, carried the length of persecution. The controversy subsided at the reformation.
A middle view between Nominalism and Realism was held by a few persons when the contest was at its height; which was, that although general properties have no sepa rate existence in nature, they can be conceived in the mind apart from any concrete embodiment. Thus we may form an idea of a circle. irrespective of any individual round 'Jody. This view is specious, and is tacitly implied iu many opinions that have never erased to be held. See GENERALIZATION.