Thinking Christianly #45 – What Makes Things What They Are? The Realist/Nominalist Debate
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Dec 15, 2025 
Stan W. Wallace, a Christian educator and speaker, and J.P. Moreland, a prominent philosopher specializing in metaphysics, dive into the intriguing realism vs. nominalism debate. They explore what makes things what they are and how this understanding affects our lives. Key topics include the relationship between God and universals, the implications of Platonic thought on morality, and the necessity of careful philosophy for effective theology. They argue that universals are essential for grounding values and meaningful human flourishing.
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Realism vs Nominalism Defined
- The debate is whether only particulars exist (nominalism) or universals ground similarity (realism).
- Realism posits immaterial universals that make particulars what they are, like a shared human nature.
Plato's Realm Grounds Moral Terms
- Plato located universals outside time and space to ground concepts like justice and love.
- These universals unify changing human practices and justify stable truths like human rights.
Realism Is Multidimensional
- 'Realism' covers multiple claims: universals, external world, and epistemic access to things themselves.
- Extreme (or pure) realism holds universals exist independently of particulars, which some consider radical.
