Universals V Tropes Essay Research Paper In

Universals V Tropes Essay, Research Paper

In examining the world around us we notice many similarities. There is a great deal of reoccurrence, which we can not help but to notice. The same shape occurs over and over in so many different objects. Rings, cans, bottles, candies, the same property we term roundness is found in all these objects. Likewise we see the same color in so many different objects. Often people say these recurrences make the world a dull place. The same set of properties continuously shows up. The best we can hope for is a new combination of these old features. Although this repetition is somewhat boring it is also incredibly important. The right sorts of recurrences, like musical notes, can make a musical piece much more captivating. If the world did not have these similarities running through it there would be no way of recognizing anything. No concepts could ever be made; thinking even in its most basic state would be impossible. The world would only be an experience.

Many people classify these properties found in our world as particular things in their own being. The color red as a particular of the apple. Thus all things that have the color red have either, depending on your view, the same particular or parts of the same particular. But are the properties of particulars themselves particulars?

In an effort to classify what sort of things properties are several possibilities have been introduced. The favorite theory of D.M. Armstrong was that of properties as universals. Armstrong beliefs that universals are an ontologically basic component of the world. He compares them to the letters of the alphabet, rather than the words. Universals are thus a basic component of things. Armstrong also made several other claims about universals. First universals must be sparse. There isn?t a universal corresponding to every set. There are only as many universals as there are genuine similarities. Every universal must also be instantiated by something, either in the past, present or future.

The question arises of why we should believe that all universals need be instantiated? The view that uninstantiated universals can exist is called the Platonist view. In this view we obtain two realms: one for the uninstantiated universals and one for the instantiated universals. The Platonic view is very hard to belief. Many people find it hard to fathom two separate realms for uninstantiated and instantiated universals. If one rejects this view we are in effect bringing all the universals down to earth. Everything that exists is in a certain space and time. It would be enough if a universal did not exist now, but existed in the past, or will exist in the future. Having this in mind there can be no universal such as “unicornhood”.

We can view a things properties as constituents of the thing and think of the properties as universals. Since universals are located in space and time universals are “wholly” present wherever their instances are. In bringing the universals into a world with space and time it seems to say something rather strange. If a particular universal is located “wholly” in every object that contains that property then they are apparently simultaneously located in multiple places. This view of universals seems strange as something can not possibly exist entirely in two separate areas of space and time. But, Armstrong clearly states that universals are “wholly” present and are found wherever the particulars that instantiate them are found. If two rings each have the property roundness, than roundness, a universal, is to be found in two different places. Some philosophers have simply tried to look past the problem by accepting the multiple locations of universals. Simply ignoring the problem though does not make it go away. One may attempt to argue that it is a flaw in our language that brings about the problem. When a person is presented with two white objects, we use the universal term “white” to describe both of them. They belief that “white” is a general term and our language does not have a specific or proper name for each of the two universals. This argument seems very elementary. We use this term “white” for a reason, because we see the color white in so many things. We this use this term to describe things because of its constant recurrence. There is no need to have proper names for every single object. As Armstrong stated universals are sparse.

In an attempt to correct the problem of having the particular of a property found wholly in two places at the same time the trope theory evolved. In many ways the trope theory is similar to the theory of properties as universals. Tropists also believe that tropes are very sparse. Also, there are only as many tropes as there are genuine similarities. Tropists too believe only in instantiated tropes and not in uninstantiated tropes, like the universalists. All tropes must have a space and time location.

Where the tropists and universalist differ is in what way the particular property is found. Tropists believe that properties are in fact particulars. But, they think of a particular such as the roundness of a penny as being found only in that penny. Tropists believe that a certain trope is found only in a particular object. They label the properties as tropes, just like universalists call them universals. However, tropists believe that when two objects resemble each other