A universal is merely a mental sign that signifies many individual things

Evidence

A universal is merely a sign of many things. As to this, Occam agrees with Aquinas, as against Averroes, Avicenna, and the Augustinians. Both hold that there are only individual things, individual minds, and acts of understanding. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 1795

Categorization

• DEFINE: DEFINE clarifies the nominalist view of universals as mental signs.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 1795
• XREF: connects to: Metaphysical distinctions between substances and universals stem from grammatical syntax. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 732; The universal is an empty, always-receding signifier, not fixed content; Universalization is an irreducible moment in any discourse. — Elizabeth Grosz, Criticism, Feminism and the…, 120 (+1 more)