Conceptualism is the philosophical position that universals exist only within the mind as concepts, rather than as independent realities. These mental concepts correspond to real-world objects and allow individuals to classify and understand their experiences. For example, the concept "dog" is a mental construct that groups various breeds and individual dogs under a single category, despite differences among them. Unlike Nominalism, which treats universals as mere names, Conceptualism holds that concepts have cognitive significance and are necessary for thought. By using these concepts, the mind organizes and interprets the world, enabling recognition of categories such as "tree" despite variations among individual trees.