The problem of universals in its historical evolution from the 9th to the 13th century

Abstract

The quarrel over universals occupied a large part of scholastic studies, although medieval philosophy was not limited to this, as the Belgian Thomist philosopher Maurice de Wulf shows us in this essay. Ultimately, it is not just a question of providing an answer as to whether universals exist objectively (Platonic radical realism) or are embodied in things, or even whether they sometimes present themselves as an abstraction and sometimes as something that is individualized in beings. What is at stake is the very nature of knowledge, its condition of possibility, since even for those who defend the singular character of things, it is necessary to explain the “common” that inhabits us, that is, the real similarities that allow us to group around a generic concept. The problem remains current, because beyond the sociopolitical issues of our time, the truth is that we have common traits with our fellow men. So, the question is: where does this common come from? What answers were given to this problem in the Christian world that have become so important even for our time, is what the author intends to show.