The metaphysical position that only particular individual things exist — general terms (universals) are merely names (nomina) without corresponding real entities.
Against universals: Plato's Forms, Aristotle's species, the medieval realists — all posit the real existence of general entities ('humanity,' 'redness'). Nominalism denies this: only this man, this red thing exist. 'Redness' is just the name we apply to things that are similar in a certain way. Ockham's nominalism: universals are mental concepts or linguistic signs — not things in the world. Consequences: undermines much of scholastic metaphysics, contributes to the individuation of reality (proto-empiricism), and anticipates modern philosophy of language.
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