Second intentions are abstract universals which are only in the mind.

Second intentions are abstract universals which are only in the mind. These are logical concepts, such as subject, predicate, and proposition. The medieval philosophers such as Aquinas and William of Ockham paid serious attention to this discussion.

However, a third type of universal concepts was recognized in Islamic philosophy which did not attract serious attention in the West was philosophical concepts, i.e., abstract concepts which have no referent in reality, but at the same time related to reality and describe it, such as concepts of causality, unity and contingency. Ibn Sina’s influence was not limited to one group or trend; rather it was so comprehensive that hardly one can see a…