the new way, that stood opposed to the via antiqua, the old way. The via antiqua was the way of the realism that had been accepted up to that time, which gave the greatest essential value to universals. For example, the universal concept “dog” was considered by followers of the via antiqua to be of greater essential value than a concrete dog, because according to them, all concrete dogs are created according to the universal concept “dog,” which God had in mind before creation. Because God and His
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