In common speech, the word individual most often refers to a person, or, by analogy, to any specific object in a group of things. For example, you the reader are an individual person, and a lawn is made of individual blades of grass. Originally, in the 15th century or earlier, the term meant "indivisible" as still used in statistics (see below), but from the seventeenth century on the term indicated separateness, as in individualism. (Abbs 1986, cited in Klein 2005, p.26-27)

In metaphysics and statistics, the word individual, while sometimes meaning "a person", more typically describes any numerically singular thing. Used in many contexts, both 'Socrates' and 'the Moon' denote individuals; 'grapefruit' and 'redness' (generally) do not. 'Individual' as a piece of philosophical jargon is much-bandied and often to be found in the company of particular -- indeed, often treated as synonymous with 'particular' (though one wonders if abstract particulars can count as individuals) -- and contrasted with 'universal'.

References

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• Gracia, Jorge J. E. (1988). Individuality: An Essay on the Foundations of Metaphysics. : State Univ of New York Pr.
• Klein, Anne Carolyn (1995). Meeting the Great Bliss Queen: Buddhists, Feminists, and the Art of the Self. ISBN 0807073067.

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@Paroxis no como individual uno nunca sabe cuando le puede caer una visita
manestra (Itzel Liévanos) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:02:46 -0000
@Paroxis no como individual uno nunca sabe cuando le puede caer una visita
@Ronaldbravo I'm pure Libertarian, baby - I TRUMPET FREEDOM AND SMALL GOVERNMENT; I EXPLODE WITH INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBLITY AND LIBERTY!
jarrod_dixon (Jarrod Dixon) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:02:36 -0000
@Ronaldbravo I'm pure Libertarian, baby - I TRUMPET FREEDOM AND SMALL GOVERNMENT; I EXPLODE WITH INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBLITY AND LIBERTY!
@FlyTunes lol i def feel you but an individual is going to do what they want any u know
KILLAKIM (I-G) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:02:06 -0000
@FlyTunes lol i def feel you but an individual is going to do what they want any u know
yo creo cambiare mi cama.... me comprare una individual
Paroxis (Roberto Arenas) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:01:44 -0000
yo creo cambiare mi cama.... me comprare una individual
Individual/Team wanted - repost by prameelamathew http://bit.ly/3LSTZs
FreelancersJob (Freelancers Job) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:01:06 -0000
Individual/Team wanted - repost by prameelamathew http://bit.ly/3LSTZs
@rebecca_glass 2-0, 2-1, etc, then find what each individual WPA is for series probability added... need a lot of data
jh_moore (Jack Moore) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:00:59 -0000
@rebecca_glass 2-0, 2-1, etc, then find what each individual WPA is for series probability added... need a lot of data

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