The Debate Over Universals in the Time of Peter Abelard: What It Is, And Is Not, About

From the 19th century onwards, the so-called “Debate over Universals” from the time of Peter Abelard (c. 1100–1150) is regarded as one of the major problems of medieval philosophy. This paper tries to advance the current approaches (which fall into two broad categories: a more analytical line of enquiry and a more historical one) by establishing a new understanding based on assumptions and questions. Through a comprehensive analysis of both published and unpublished logical commentaries from the first half of the 12th century, it shows that – contrary to the received narrative – a lot is not discussed, but rather assumed. It therefore investigates what the debate is not about – arguing that this is just as relevant as what the debate is about.