OCKHAM, William of

OCKHAM, William of
(1285-1349)
   English FRANCISCAN MONK who was the most important scholastic philosopher and interpreter of ARISTOTLE after AQUINAS. He is known for his radical NOMINALISM and agreement with the FRANCISCAN SPIRITUALS against the POPE for which was eventually excommunicated after a dispute about TRANSUBSTANTIATION. His maxim, known as OCKHAM'S RAZOR, states that "Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity," or, as he stated, "It is vain to do with more what can be done with fewer." The meaning of this is that things should be interpreted using the least number of assumptions or hypotheses.

Concise dictionary of Religion. 2012.

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  • Ockham, William of — • Biographical article on the fourteenth century Franciscan philosopher Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Ockham, William — (William of Occam) (ca. 1288–1347)    One of the most significant theologians and philosophers of late medieval Europe,William of Ockham is generally considered to be the first “nominalist” thinker, so called because his position on universals… …   Encyclopedia of medieval literature

  • Ockham, William of — or William of Occam born с 1285, Ockham, Surrey?, Eng. died 1347/49, Munich, Bavaria English Franciscan philosopher, theologian, and political writer. A late Scholastic thinker, he is regarded as the founder of a form of nominalism, the school of …   Universalium

  • Ockham, William of — (c. 1285–1349) English theologian and philosopher. The first certain date of Ockham s life is that he was ordained subdeacon in 1306. He joined the Franciscans, and lectured on the Sentences of Peter Lombard in Oxford between 1317 and 1319. His… …   Philosophy dictionary

  • Ockham, William — See Ockham’s world and future, see Walter Burley, Peter Aureoli and Gregory of Rimini …   History of philosophy

  • Ockham,William of — Ock·ham also Oc·cam (ŏkʹəm), William of. 1285? 1349?. English scholastic philosopher who rejected the reality of universal concepts and argued that mental and linguistic signs are the only genuinely universal features of reality. * * * …   Universalium

  • Ockham, William of — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Ockham — Ockham, William of …   Philosophy dictionary

  • William of Ockham — Full name William of Ockham Born c. 1288 Ockham, England Died 1347 or 1348 Munich, Holy Roman Empire …   Wikipedia

  • Ockham's razor — n. OCCAM S RAZOR * * * Methodological principle of parsimony in scientific explanation. Traditionally attributed to William of Ockham, the principle prescribes that entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity. In practice, this means that… …   Universalium

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