Nominalism is a philosophical view that argues that universals, or general concepts like redness or beauty, do not exist independently of the objects that embody them. Instead, nominalists believe that these concepts are merely names or labels we use to describe groups of individual things. For example, when we talk about the color red, we are referring to specific red objects, not to a separate, abstract idea of redness. This perspective contrasts with realism, which holds that universals exist in some form beyond individual instances. Nominalism emphasizes the importance of language and categorization in understanding the world, suggesting that our understanding is shaped by the terms we use rather than by any inherent qualities of the objects themselves.