Abstract

This is a useful collection of readings for a senior undergraduate or junior-level graduate course on universals. The selections are short, but generally self-contained, and thus accessible to readers unfamiliar with the literature. Most of the great contributors to the debate, from Plato to the early Russell, Husserl, and Heidegger, are well represented, with a good sampling of the medieval discussion in pieces from Abelard, St. Thomas, Duns Scotus, and Ockham. Postwar twentieth-century contributors include Quine, Carnap, Strawson, and David Pears; and the text ends with a helpful bibliography of books and articles for further inquiry.