Conceptualism
Encyclopedia
Conceptualism is a philosophical theory that explains universality of particulars as conceptualized frameworks situated within the thinking mind. Intermediate between Nominalism
and Realism
, the conceptualist view approaches the metaphysical concept of universals from a perspective that denies their presence in particulars outside of the mind's perception of them.
was distinctly defined as Conceptualism.
Peter Abélard was a medival thinker whose work is currently classified as having the most potential in representing the roots of conceptualism. Abélard’s view denied the existence of determinate universals within things, proposing the claim that meaning is constructed solely by the virtue of conception. William Ockham was another famous late medieval thinker who had a strictly conceptualist solution to the metaphysical problem of universals. He argued that abstract concepts have no fundamentum outside the mind, and that the purpose they serve is the construction of meaning in an otherwise meaningless world.
In the 17th century conceptualism gained favour for some decades especially among the Jesuits: Hurtado de Mendoza
, Rodrigo de Arriaga and Francisco Oviedo
are the main figures. Although the order soon returned to the more realist philosophy of Francisco Suárez
, the ideas of these Jesuits had a great impact on the contemporary early modern thinkers.
, John Locke
or Gottfried Leibniz
-- often in a quite simplified form if compared with the elaborate Scholastic theories.
Sometimes the term is applied even to the radically different philosophy of Kant
, who holds that universals have no connection with external things because they are exclusively produced by our a priori
mental structures and functions. However, this application of the term "conceptualism" is not very usual, since the problem of universals can, strictly speaking, be meaningfully raised only within the framework of the traditional, pre-Kantian epistemology.
Nominalism
Nominalism is a metaphysical view in philosophy according to which general or abstract terms and predicates exist, while universals or abstract objects, which are sometimes thought to correspond to these terms, do not exist. Thus, there are at least two main versions of nominalism...
and Realism
Realism
Realism, Realist or Realistic are terms that describe any manifestation of philosophical realism, the belief that reality exists independently of observers, whether in philosophy itself or in the applied arts and sciences. In this broad sense it is frequently contrasted with Idealism.Realism in the...
, the conceptualist view approaches the metaphysical concept of universals from a perspective that denies their presence in particulars outside of the mind's perception of them.
Conceptualism in scholasticism
The evolution of late scholastic terminology has led to the emergence of Conceptualism, which stemmed from doctrines that were previously considered to be nominalistic. The terminological distinction was made in order to stress the difference between the claim that universal mental acts correspond with universal intentional objects and the perspective that dismissed the existence of universals outside of the mind. The latter perspective of rejection of objective universalityUniversality
Universality may refer to:* Universality in physical science * Universality * Universality , meaning present in all places and all times* Universality...
was distinctly defined as Conceptualism.
Peter Abélard was a medival thinker whose work is currently classified as having the most potential in representing the roots of conceptualism. Abélard’s view denied the existence of determinate universals within things, proposing the claim that meaning is constructed solely by the virtue of conception. William Ockham was another famous late medieval thinker who had a strictly conceptualist solution to the metaphysical problem of universals. He argued that abstract concepts have no fundamentum outside the mind, and that the purpose they serve is the construction of meaning in an otherwise meaningless world.
In the 17th century conceptualism gained favour for some decades especially among the Jesuits: Hurtado de Mendoza
Hurtado de Mendoza
Hurtado de Mendoza may refer to:* Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete , Spanish military officer* Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza , Spanish dramatist* Diego Hurtado de Mendoza...
, Rodrigo de Arriaga and Francisco Oviedo
Francisco Oviedo
Francisco Arcidio Oviedo Brítez is Paraguayan politician from the Colorado Party. He served as Vice President of Paraguay from 21 November 2007 to 15 August 2008.-Political career:...
are the main figures. Although the order soon returned to the more realist philosophy of Francisco Suárez
Francisco Suárez
Francisco Suárez was a Spanish Jesuit priest, philosopher and theologian, one of the leading figures of the School of Salamanca movement, and generally regarded among the greatest scholastics after Thomas Aquinas....
, the ideas of these Jesuits had a great impact on the contemporary early modern thinkers.
Modern conceptualism
Conceptualism was either explicitly or implicitly embraced by most of the early modern thinkers like René DescartesRené Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
, John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
or Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
-- often in a quite simplified form if compared with the elaborate Scholastic theories.
Sometimes the term is applied even to the radically different philosophy of Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
, who holds that universals have no connection with external things because they are exclusively produced by our a priori
A priori and a posteriori (philosophy)
The terms a priori and a posteriori are used in philosophy to distinguish two types of knowledge, justifications or arguments...
mental structures and functions. However, this application of the term "conceptualism" is not very usual, since the problem of universals can, strictly speaking, be meaningfully raised only within the framework of the traditional, pre-Kantian epistemology.
See also
- Problem of universalsProblem of universalsThe problem of universals is an ancient problem in metaphysics about whether universals exist. Universals are general or abstract qualities, characteristics, properties, kinds or relations, such as being male/female, solid/liquid/gas or a certain colour, that can be predicated of individuals or...
- Pierre Abélard
- Conceptual artConceptual artConceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
- Lyco artPaul HartalPaul Hartal is a Canadian painter and poet, born in Szeged, Hungary. He has created the term "Lyrical Conceptualism" to characterize his style in both painting and poetry, and has created a manifesto to describe his thesis....
(Lyrical Conceptualism) - Philosophical realismPhilosophical realismContemporary philosophical realism is the belief that our reality, or some aspect of it, is ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, etc....