Nominalisesta

Nominalisesta is a Finnish term linked to nominalism, a philosophical position in the debate over universals. In Finnish writing, phrases such as “nominalisesta näkökulmasta” mean “from a nominalist perspective.” The word is an inflected form used when discussing nominalism or a nominalist stance in various grammatical cases.

Nominalism holds that universals—general properties or kinds such as redness or beauty—do not have independent existence outside minds and language. Only particular things exist; properties are real features of individual objects rather than separate, abstract entities. Universals are thus seen as names, terms, or mental constructs we use to classify and communicate about the world, not as things in their own right.

Historically, nominalism developed in medieval Europe as a challenge to realist theories about universals, which claimed that universals exist independently of particular objects. Early debates involved figures like Roscellinus, while later proponents such as William of Ockham argued against the independent reality of abstract entities. The discussion contrasted with conceptualism, which locates universals in the realm of ideas, and with various forms of realism that posit abstract objects. In modern philosophy, nominalism has influenced discussions in ontology, philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mathematics, where some scholars resist positing abstract objects beyond linguistic and conceptual frameworks.

Today, nominalisesta appears in contemporary discourse as a focusing term for analyses that deny independent universals or abstract entities, emphasizing language, usage, and ontological commitments. In Finnish scholarship, the form nominalisesta is a common way to reference nominalist approaches or sources. See also nominalismi, universalit, Ockham, Roscellinus.