Question 1

What is the difference between Essentialism and Nominalism?

Accepted Answer

Essentialism says the category is out there in the thing; nominalism says the category is in our naming. Same table, two stories about where 'table-ness' lives — and the disagreement is about whether the world comes pre-sorted or whether we do the sorting.

Question 2

How do I know if I mean Essentialism rather than Nominalism?

Accepted Answer

Readers who land here meaning Essentialism rather than Nominalism are usually searching for phrases like “what is essentialism in simple terms”, “is essentialism the same as minimalism”, “essential vs accidental properties”.

Aspect	Essentialism	Nominalism
Categories live	In things	In language
Kinds are	Discovered	Made
World is	Pre-sorted	Sorted by us
Ancient champion	Aristotle	Later medievals

Side by side

Which one did you mean?

Essentialism

Read either one in full