MONIKA MANSFELD, „Utrum Tantum Signa Sint Universalia”. A Question from John of Münsterberg’s Commentary on the „Metaphysics” (VII, 32)

SUMMARY

John of Münsterberg’s opinions concerning the status of universals are preserved in two sources: his Commentary on the Metaphysics and an anonymous record of discussions in which he participated in Prague. In both sources, John’s own opinions on the topic are paired with comments on the positions of his opponents, especially radical realists, such as John Hus, Štěpán of Páleč, and Stanislaus of Znojmo. Although John of Münsterberg was often considered in secondary literature to be a nominalist, a more detailed analysis of his texts leads to a conclusion that the opinions he presented there are more characteristic of moderate realism. Question 32 from book 7 of his Commentary on the Metaphysics, the critical edition of which constitutes the main part of this paper, is devoted not only to the title-question, viz. whether signs are only universals, but also to the problem of how universals exist in things. It is preceded by the editor’s short introduction.