2026年3月托福机经套卷(第5套) - Read an Academic Passage Q3

Medieval European Philosophy In the European medieval period (between the fifth and fifteenth centuries), philosophy was a major field of study. Scholars like Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas were influenced by ancient Greek philosophy but also had their own ideas. A key focus was the nature of universals—whether abstract concepts like "beauty" or "justice" exist independently of the mind. Abelard, a twelfth-century philosopher, argued that universals are merely linguistic constructs, existing only in our language and thoughts. This nominalist perspective contrasted sharply with the realism of ancient Greek scholars like Plato, who believed that universals exist in an independent realm. Abelard's views sparked intense debates among his contemporaries. Thomas Aquinas, influenced by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, offered a different approach. He suggested that universals exist both in the mind and in reality. For Aquinas, the human mind perceives universals through experiences of particular things. Seeing a beautiful flower, for example, helps us grasp the idea of beauty itself. This theory, known as moderate realism, bridged the gap between nominalism and classical realism. Aquinas' synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy and nominalism had an enduring impact on medieval thought, and the debate over universals shaped the entire medieval intellectual landscape.