Aristotelian nominalism

The nominalism of William from Ockham (1287-1347) is a think, or better, a build of Aristotle(384-322 b.Ch.), that has his logic in syllogism, an exercise of Aristotle necessary to verify the rightness of a proposition; it is an exercise very simple, because we must take that first part of proposition, until verb, and second part tie to second proposition, an example: Socrates is philosopher and the dog is ugly; we must take the first part of this proposition: Socrates is and we must tie ugly, this is predicate of the first proposition; thereby: Socrates is ugly; this is true; in fact Socrates was all except beautiful. After it is present the direct of rightness examination, that is alone real. The nominalism differentiates between universal terms, as humanity, that is alone a name, necessary to gather similar things; thereby, general gender haven’t autonomous life, above all in intellectual works: this distinction and origin is alone hinted in a book(Ockham’s theory of terms. Part I of the Summa Logicae, p.15), where is written that: “For the medieval, the view that these two distinctions are related was legitimized by Aristotel’s claim that the universal is that which is predicable of many.” To grammatical build that has meaningful: “Nor the general terms introduce universals when they function as the predicate of subject-predicate propositions…”; this concept is determinated from Aristotle’s syllogism, because melts the philosophical concept with a grammatical rule; the syllogism, that we have seen above is same dynamic; thereupon it melts the philosophical concept and practical grammar, to after must follow the speculative inquiry; other philosophical work of Aristotle that has determined this address is Categories, where Aristotle distinguished the substance, the first of then words that are necessary to inquiry that truth, that in ancient Greek is λεγομενα; this exercise, that is, if we see well, an result of syllogism, uses the words to search the human reality, same method of Aristotle, that used the words to set the philosophical truth; it is the Aristotelian version Middle age. William Ockham known perfectly the ancient Greek, he was one of three European intellectual that could read the ancient Greek. The difference is substantially in method because on stead to Aristotle this criterion is necessary to search the truth to Nominalism it is an essential reference to make the scheme to know the science. The nature of semiological meaningful of the word and the analysis  made on the word, thereupon the valor of word, thereby the meaning same and essence is in Categories of Aristotle, because the philosopher begun his book with a distinction of synonyms, homonyms and paronymy, and the explication about difference is explained with clearness, but it is motive to consider that the value of word, to nominalism, is fundamental and when Middle age has took conceived the nominalism has took the method of Aristotle and has used it to shape the search; the inquiry to the truth proposition and his verification is explained in same book:“…a subject-predicate proposition is true if the subject is numbered among the things signified by the predicate term; otherwise, it is false”; thereupon the verification, speculative verification, directly from Aristotle is constant, because the inquiry is fundament of every truth; it is Aristotelian method, that refuse what isn’t speculable, this is visible; in fact, Aristotle refused the infinitive conception, because the infinite we can alone think but not see; the scientific truth is when it is speculative. Reprobate is other step of same book that, without say it, is manifestation of follower of Aristotle: “Ockham describes the mental language, which is the vehicle of thinking, in terms of concepts appropriate to spoken language”; I hear the judgements, that say: “It is simply logic and human, dear stupid”; I keep the stupid because it is normal, and due; but I want concentrate the attention about the criterion of search, because, the words: “Ockham describes the mental language, which is the vehicle of thinking…”, are the proof of Aristotelian of Ockham, why? Because he has seen that mental language is vehicle of thinking, but has seen it, hence he has adopted the speculative method. Aristotle in same book of Categories affirms: “When a thing is predicated of other as a subject, every thing is said of predicate are said also to subject. For example, man is predicate of some man, animal is predicate of man: thereupon animal is predicate also of a some man. In fact a some man is both man and animal”, other example: “When the genders are different and not be subordinated one to other, also the differences are specifically different: for example those of animal and science. In fact the differences of animal are terrestrial, volatile, aquatic and biped, but nothing of these is difference of science; because a science isn’t distinct from other science because it is biped”; it is speculative inquiry of Aristotle, whose logic is adopted from Ockham; it is furthermore speculative is also obvious, but it is so much obvious that nobody has said before, mentioning of Robert von Musil(1880-1942), we can say that: “the monument is so much great that nobody sees it”.We must also consider that the Nominalism is born in Scholastic school(9^th-15^th centuries), this is an philosophical address that has canonized the think of medieval age, on stead in ancient Greek think and the schools were very much, thereupon every man could follow an  different address.

Alessandro Lusana