20 Universal Terms. 
and: thirdly, invent their common name. After the death of Dr: — 
Brown, Mr. Stewart published a continuation of his great work on — 
the philosophy of the human mind, on the very first page of which — 
we find that he is unconvinced by the arguments of Dr. Brown, and 
still contends for his former opinions; or rather takes for granted 
that he has established them.* a 
Let a class of unbiassed young persons, who are sufficiently ad- 
vanced in the study. of intellectual philosophy to understand its — 
terms, be asked, what occupies your mind when you use general 
terms, is it ideas or mere words? All will be puzzled ; and about a 
half will incline-to one side of the argument, and half to the other. 
This question, then, has bewildered both acute and ordinary 
minds, for more than two thousand years. Is not this a proof that 
there is some latent fallacy contained in thé question itself? It is 
the nature of trath—of all which springs from truth—of all which 
tends to truth, to enlighten—to clear from doubt; but this question 
casts doubt and darkness. May we not, therefore, conclude that it 
springs not ‘from truth but from error? But where it its fallacy? 
Suppose you-are: asked, are the human race white or black? and 
required to answer’ directly in the words of the question. You can 
not, without asserting a falsehood ; because, in order to do’ so, yo 
must rank under-one head objects which in the respects: alluded to 
are dissimilar. _ So, tn this celebrated question, (are ideas or words” 
er 
the one expressing natural classes, the other artificial classifi- 
the doctrine of the Conceptualists is true; with regard to the latter, 
that of the Nominalists. ee 
To explain the subject more fully ;—natural classes of objects are 
those which, from a feeling of resemblance; arising as soon as they 
are presented, every human mind from its inherent constitution ranks: 
togetlier as things of thé saie‘sort.. Such are sheep, trees, horses; 
arid men. Concerning ‘these classes} we think it. may clearly be 
show that agreeably to the opinions of the Conceptualists, we have 
general ideas or conceptions; and further, that respecting these, 
the 
