b. 1938
Keith Campbell is an Australian analytic philosopher best known for his systematic development of trope theory, the view that the world's basic constituents are abstract particulars (tropes) rather than universals or concrete individuals. His influential 1990 work 'Abstract Particulars' argued that a sparse ontology of tropes alone can ground all of metaphysics. He spent most of his career at the University of Sydney.
Developed a comprehensive trope-theoretic ontology in 'Abstract Particulars' (1990), the canonical modern defense of trope nominalism
Argued that tropes alone suffice as ontological ground, eliminating the need for both universals and bare particulars
Defended a bundle theory of substance constituted entirely by compresent tropes
Contributed to philosophy of mind with 'Body and Mind' (1970), defending a materialist position
Influenced contemporary debates on properties, resemblance, and the one-over-many problem