Theory of Universals

The Theory of Universals is a philosophical idea that explores whether abstract concepts, like "beauty" or "redness," exist independently of the specific things we observe. For example, when we see a red apple or a red car, the theory asks if "redness" exists as a universal quality outside of these objects. There are two main views: realism, which believes that universals exist independently, and nominalism, which argues that they are just names or labels we use for categories. This theory raises important questions about the nature of reality and how we understand and categorize the world around us.