Eunomius and the Naturalist Theory of Names

Eunomius has taken sides in a dispute that goes back at least as far as Plato's Crattelis. On the naturalist theory, though, all genuine names relate intimately to what they name. Basil takes this in a skeptical direction by claiming that the names we use can get us only as far as these notions. Never do we find language actually revealing the essence of a thing, says Eunomius.