Los universales: una revisión a la luz de la historiografía reciente

Abstract

This research presents and evaluates the historiography in the last fifteen years on this subject, classic in the historiography of medieval philosophy, paying special attention to the impact of the newest novelty in the subject: the controversy surrounding historicist and continuist visions, or continental and Anglo-Saxon ones. Firstly, some themes and issues present in the bibliography on the subject are reviewed, which can be attributed to the inspiration of de Libera. However, we hold that de Liberas’ historicist program as such did not succeed; instead, the opposite approach which advocates a moderate continuism did. There is a clear presence of language and problems regarding the issues on the contemporary debate over the universals, which acquired great vitality in the last three decades, in most works regarding the medieval dispute about the universals. Is it that foolish anachronism or ignorant un-historicism that, sometimes understandably, analytical philosophy is found guilty of and that de Libera portrayed with such magnificence in his book? In the conclusion of our research we try to provide an answer.