Abstract

Ever since the ancient Chinese paradox "white horse is not horse" was brought into the context of Western philosophy, various interpretations have been proposed by modern scholars based on different theoretical considerations, although no satisfactory consensus has been reached. Controversy focuses especially on whether the paradox implies a realist or nominalist ontology.The controversy starts from Fung Yu-lan's realist reading of Gongsun Long. Fung read "white horse is not horse" as "white-horseness is different from horseness." "The universal, horseness, is the essential attribute of all horses. … Such 'horseness' is distinct from 'white-horseness'". He ascribes to Gongsun Long a Platonic realism...