William of Ockham
English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher and theologian, known for Occam's razor.
The methodological principle known as Occam's razor is named after him, and he is famous for it.[1]
Quick Facts
- Region
- Western philosophy
- Era
- Medieval philosophy
- Born
- c. 1287
- Birthplace
- Ockham, Surrey, England
- Died
- 9/10 April 1347
- Place of death
- Munich, Duchy of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire
- Education
- Greyfriars, London; University of Oxford
- Notable works
- Sum of Logic
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
At an early age he became a member of the Franciscan Order.[2] Ockham, Surrey, is the probable birthplace of William of Ockham, with his birth estimated around 1287.[2] He pursued his studies at the Franciscan school within the University of Oxford from an unspecified start date until approximately 1321.[3] In 1324, his teaching was halted when he was called to the papal court in Avignon to justify his commentary on the Sentences.[4]
For departing Avignon without authorization, Ockham and the other dissidents were excommunicated on June 6, 1328.[5] William of Ockham's death likely occurred on either 9 or 10 April 1347.[6]
What the cited sources add
The same source states Ockham was born probably in late 1287 or early 1288 in the village of Ockham in Surrey.[7] The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy reports Ockham's ethics is a divine command theory.[8] That source also states Ockham advances the notion of rights, separation of church and state, and freedom of speech in political theory.[8] The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy adds Ockham died sometime between 1347 and 1349, unreconciled with the Catholic Church.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "William of Ockham" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: William J. Courtenay, "The Academic and Intellectual Worlds of Ockham", in P.V. Spade (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Ockham (Cambridge: Cambridge University ; Thorndike, "University Records and Life in the Middle Ages", Columbia University Press, 1949, p. 355-360 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William of Ockham" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Courtenay, "Ockham, William (c.1287–1347), philosopher, theologian, and political theorist", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 23 September 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William of Ockham" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: He has long been claimed as a Merton alumnus, but there is no contemporary evidence to support this claim and as a Franciscan, he would have been ineligible for; During that time (1312–1317) Henry Harclay was the Chancellor of Oxford and it is believed that Ockham was his pupil (see John Marenbon (ed.), Medieval Philosop (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William of Ockham" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Knysh, "Biographical rectifications concerning William's Avignon period", Franciscan Studies, 1986, p. 61–91; Courtenay, "Ockham, William (c.1287–1347), philosopher, theologian, and political theorist", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 23 September 2004; Larsen, "The School of Heretics: Academic Condemnation at the University of Oxford, 1277–1409", Brill, 2011, p. 76-92 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William of Ockham" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Courtenay, "Ockham, William (c.1287–1347), philosopher, theologian, and political theorist", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 23 September 2004; Spade, Paul Vincent, "William of Ockham", Stanford University (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "William of Ockham" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Courtenay, "Ockham, William (c.1287–1347), philosopher, theologian, and political theorist", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 23 September 2004; Gál, "William of Ockham Died 'Impenitent' in April 1347", Franciscan Studies, 1982, p. 90–95 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Spade, Paul Vincent, "William of Ockham", Stanford University. facts only, no text reused. plato.stanford.edu
- "Ockham (Occam), William of Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy". facts only, no text reused. iep.utm.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article William of Ockham (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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