Motivating the problem of universals: resemblance relations

The medieval debate regarding the problem of universals grew so fierce that it is said to have spilled out into fistfights on the streets of 1400s Paris. 1 This is a blog post about why that debate remains relevant to basic philosophical questions about perception and the possibility of inquiry. Say that you entertain some fact about elm trees and beech trees, for example that elm trees are, on…