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Why did Peter Abelard argue that universal names have meaning?

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Peter Abelard Peter Abelard, with Héloïse, miniature portrait by Jean de Meun, 14th century; in the Musee Conde, Chantilly, France.

Peter Abelard argued that universal names have meaning because they refer to individuals, rejecting the notion that they are merely empty sounds or independent realities.12

In his philosophy of language, Abelard addressed the problem of universals by positioning himself between the nominalists and the realists of his time. While his teacher Roscelin claimed universals were nothing more than words (flatus vocis), Abelard contended that this view failed to account for the fact that these names possess genuine significance. Conversely, he disagreed with William of Champeaux, who argued that universals were realities existing apart from the mind.132

For Abelard, while only individuals are truly real, universal names and mental concepts are meaningful because they signify the common condition, or status, of individuals belonging to the same species. This commonality arises because God created these individuals according to the same divine idea, allowing the names to function as meaningful references to those individuals rather than as labels for a shared, independent essence.12