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The things which are seen are opposed in Scripture to the things

which are unseen-they are equally opposed in Plato to universals

and ideas. To him all particulars appear to be floating about in

a world of sense; they have a taint of error or even of evil.

There is no difficulty in seeing that this is an illusion; for

there is no more error or variation in an individual man, horse,

bed, etc., than in the class man, horse, bed, etc.; nor is the

truth which is displayed in individual instances less certain

than that which is conveyed through the medium of ideas. But

Plato, who is deeply impressed with the real importance of

universals as instruments of thought, attributes to them an

essential truth which is imaginary and unreal; for universals may

be often false and particulars true.