Tag Archives: universals

Review: Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview

Posted on October 13, 2018 by J. B. Aitken

Moreland, J. P. and Craig, William Lane.   Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview.  Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2003. This is one of those books in which I have spent more time over the past ten years than any … Continue reading →

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Notes on Plato’s Dialogues

Posted on June 11, 2018 by J. B. Aitken

I’ve reread these several times.  I am not a pure Platonist.  I do believe in universals, but I don’t think we need to get bogged down in Plato’s specifics.  In any case, did Plato believe that relations were universals?  I’m … Continue reading →

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Review: Russell, Problems of Philosophy

Posted on November 9, 2017 by J. B. Aitken

Not an easy read, but fun at times. How do we know what is real? There is a disjunct between appearance and reality. In other words, the “real” is not always the obvious. Russell’s main sparring partner is Bishop Berkeley, … Continue reading →

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Some brief notes on nominalism

Posted on March 27, 2016 by J. B. Aitken

Nominalism seeks the simplest explanation in ontology.  One of their confusions regarding realism, though, is that they think universals have spatial location.  But as B. Russell pointed out, the universal “being north of” is not spatial. The austere nominalist is … Continue reading →

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Properties and Attributes

Posted on October 31, 2015 by J. B. Aitken

Why is this important?  Understanding that this is what “makes up” a human being is crucial in apologetics, evangelism, and the pro-life cause. Older theologians made a distinction between property and attribute, the latter being a wider category than the … Continue reading →

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