Were Aquinas’ and Scotus’ Modificationsto the Common Nature of Avicenna justified?: Based on Owens’ Paper

The problem of individuation, a key philosophical challenge in medieval times, should be dealt with through a discussion of “common nature.” Among the modern medieval scholars, Owens first noticed and studied the importance of common nature and analyzed the views of Aquinas and Scotus, who accepted it, starting with its original Avicennian position. However, Owens used the transcendental category theory, a criterion that cannot be applied to Avicenna, and made an error that focused on how this was modified or transformed rather than on the basic concept of Avicenna’s common nature. Therefore, this paper will analyze the relative advantages of Avicenna’s concept by comparing the common nature of Avicenna and Aquinas. It will help to study the various medieval discussions because both universal and individuation problems use his view as a starting point.