trope nominalism

philosophy

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

Trope nominalism is a philosophical stance that posits that things are composed of "trope" parts, which are abstract particulars. For example, a round red disk would have a "redness trope" and a "roundness trope" as its parts. These tropes are considered particulars because they cannot be repeated in more than one thing. This contrasts with universals, which can be applied to multiple individual things that share a commonality.12

Trope nominalism is a form of nominalism, a position in the dispute over universals. Nominalism generally denies the real existence of universals, arguing that the use of a general word does not imply the existence of a corresponding general thing. While trope nominalism offers a way to categorize things based on their specific properties (tropes), some philosophers find tropes as mysterious as universals themselves.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

universal
Trope nominalism
Other nominalists, so-called “trope” nominalists, follow the American philosopher Donald Cary Williams in positing an extra kind of part for things. Williams held that a round red disk, for example, has parts in addition to its concrete spatial parts, such as its upper…
Read More
Other nominalists, so-called “trope” nominalists, follow the American philosopher Donald Cary Williams in positing an extra kind of part for things. Williams held that a round red disk, for example, has parts in addition to its concrete spatial parts, such as its upper…
Read More