UNIVERSALIA IN REBUS ET ANTE REM

The Principle of Exemplification (the Principle of Instantiation) is a bone of contention between the Platonic doctrine of universalia ante rem and the Aristotelian theory of universalia in rebus. The paper discusses consequences, which seem to follow both form assertion and rejection of the principles(?) in question . As a result of this critical analysis the author presents: (i) a modal version of a moderate realism (ii) a preliminary account of basic ontological categories, which correspond to broadly Aristotelian view of universals.