Scotistic realism

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Scotistic realism (also Scotist realism or Scotist formalism) is the Scotist position on the problem of universals. It is a form of moderate realism, which is sometimes referred to as 'scholastic realism'.[1][2] The position maintains that universals exist both in particular objects and as concepts in the mind.[3]

The "problem of universals" was an ancient problem in metaphysics about whether universals exist. For John Duns Scotus, a Franciscan philosopher, theologian and Catholic priest, universals such as "greenness" and "goodness" exist in reality. This is opposed to the later nominalism of William of Ockham, and the earlier conceptualism of Abelard, which say universals exist only within the mind and have no external or substantial reality, or universals don't exist at all (including the mind).[4][5] In addition, Scotus doesn't think that universals exist in some "third realm" or "Platonic heaven", as Plato thought (i.e. Platonism).[6]

In this way, Scotistic realism can be seen as a middle ground between Aristotelian realism (i.e. immanent realism) and conceptualism.[7] Scotistic realism can also be seen to take a nod to Platonism.[8] Not because Scotus thinks that universals ultimately trace back to a "Platonic Heaven"; rather, because (for Scotus) universals ultimately trace back to ideas in God's mind.[9][10]

Therefore, scotistic realism affirms that universals exist in particular objects, finite minds, and the infinite mind of God.[11][12]

  1. ^ Peterson, J. (1999). Introduction to scholastic realism. New York: Peter Lang.
  2. ^ Mayorga, R. M. P. T. (2002). On Universals: The Scholastic Realism of John Duns Scotus and Charles Sanders Peirce. University of Miami.
  3. ^ "Scotus, John Duns | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy".
  4. ^ "conceptualism" in The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Simon Blackburn. Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 8 April 2008
  5. ^ Paul Vincent Spade, Five Texts on the Mediaeval Problem of Universals: Porphyry, Boethius, Abelard, Duns Scotus, Ockham, Indianapolis, Hackett, 1994.
  6. ^ "Scotus, John Duns | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy".
  7. ^ Williams, Thomas, "John Duns Scotus", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/duns-scotus/>.
  8. ^ Mayorga, R. M. P. T. (2002). On Universals: The Scholastic Realism of John Duns Scotus and Charles Sanders Peirce. University of Miami.
  9. ^ Peterson, J. (1999). Introduction to scholastic realism. New York: Peter Lang.
  10. ^ Mayorga, R. M. P. T. (2002). On Universals: The Scholastic Realism of John Duns Scotus and Charles Sanders Peirce. University of Miami.
  11. ^ Peterson, J. (1999). Introduction to scholastic realism. New York: Peter Lang.
  12. ^ Mayorga, R. M. P. T. (2002). On Universals: The Scholastic Realism of John Duns Scotus and Charles Sanders Peirce. University of Miami.