Particularity

Particularity refers to the quality or state of being particular or specific, as opposed to general or universal. It emphasizes concrete details, singular identity, and the distinctive context of a thing or event rather than broad generalization. In everyday language, it highlights what makes something unique in a given situation.

In philosophy, particularity sits at the heart of the debate about universals. Some traditions uphold universals as real, abstract entities shared by many particulars, while others deny independent universals and focus on the concrete cases themselves. The idea of particularity can appear in epistemology and ethics, where justification or obligation is thought to arise from actual situations and experiences rather than from general rules. Modern discussions often explore how knowledge and value are grounded in concrete particulars, sometimes emphasizing embodied or contextual factors over abstract principles.

Other fields use the term to stress specificity. In law, the particulars of a case—facts, contexts, and parties—are decisive for outcomes. In anthropology and cultural studies, particularity refers to the unique histories and practices of local communities, resisting oversimplified generalizations. In literature and art, attention to particularity highlights precise settings, voices, and textures that give works their distinct character.

Particularity is thus a descriptive and normative concept across disciplines, inviting attention to what is unique, situated, and concrete while balancing the demand for general understanding.