Nominalists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of philosophers who argue that universals are mere names without real existence and emphasize the importance of individual entities
2. Philosophers who maintain that abstract concepts do not exist independently, claiming that only particular things are real, thus viewing names as conventionally significant
3. Thinkers who assert that general terms or categories are not reflective of real entities, emphasizing the role of language and naming in the understanding of reality

Etymology: Nominalists took their name from "nominal," which comes from Latin "nōminālis," meaning "relating to names," itself from "nōmen," "name." The word is a plain formation: "nominal" plus the suffix "-ist," which marks a person who holds a particular doctrine or practises a particular discipline. English took "nominal" from Medieval Latin usage, and the suffix "-ist" reached English through Old French "-iste" and Latin "-ista," borrowed from Greek "-istēs." The label was applied to a medieval debate, not chosen by its adherents. In the late Middle Ages, thinkers argued over whether universal terms such as "humanity" named real entities or were merely names applied to individual things. Those who took the second view were said to hold that universals were only names, and the term "nominalist" grew out of that dispute.

Synonyms: theorists, philosophers, realists