William of Ockham

Lore & Background

William of Ockham was born probably in Ockham, Surrey, around 1287. At an early age he became a member of the Franciscan Order and received his early theological education in the Franciscan school in London. He later studied at the Franciscan school in the University of Oxford, completing all requirements for a master's degree in theology but never becoming a regent master, earning the title Venerabilis Inceptor. His disputations on Peter Lombard's Sentences were held probably in 1317–1319. After qualifying, he was sent to a Franciscan school, likely in London, where he produced commentaries on Aristotle's logical treatises and Physics, as well as a Summary of Logic.

In 1324, Ockham was summoned to the papal court in Avignon to defend his Sentences commentary. While there, he became involved in the dispute over Apostolic poverty. Pope John XXII rejected the Franciscan doctrine that Christ and the Apostles owned nothing individually or in common. Ockham studied the pope's bulls and found in them 'a great many things that were heretical, erroneous... adverse to orthodox faith.' Together with Michael of Cesena and others, he secretly left Avignon on 26 May 1328, taking refuge in Munich under Emperor Louis IV. They were excommunicated on 6 June 1328. Ockham died probably on 9 or 10 April 1347, just before the Black Death outbreak in Munich.

Reader's Guide

William of Ockham's significance lies in his contributions to philosophy, theology, and political thought. He is most famous for Occam's razor, the principle of parsimony in explanation, which he formulated as: 'For nothing ought to be posited without a reason given, unless it is self-evident (literally, known through itself) or known by experience or proved by the authority of Sacred Scripture.' This principle became a cornerstone of modern scientific reasoning. Ockham held that theology is not a science, as only faith gives access to theological truths; the ways of God are not open to reason. He was regarded by fifteenth-century nominalists as a founder of their movement, though some modern scholars prefer the term 'terminism' or 'conceptualism.' Ockham argued that universals are individuals—sounds, inscriptions, or concepts—that signify other individuals, and that resemblances among things are real, not imposed by the mind. His ontological parsimony led him to reject the category of quantity as unnecessary and to hold that human reason can prove neither the immortality of the soul nor the existence, unity, and infinity of God, which are known only by revelation. His political writings, produced after leaving Avignon, addressed issues of papal authority and imperial power, contributing to medieval political philosophy.

Did You Know?

• William of Ockham never became a regent master of theology, earning the title Venerabilis Inceptor.
• He was excommunicated on 6 June 1328 for leaving Avignon without permission.
• Ockham's principle of parsimony is often stated as 'Entities should not be multiplied without necessity,' though this exact phrasing does not appear in his writings.
• He died just before the outbreak of the Black Death in Munich.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"William of Ockham, also Occam (ca. 1287–1347), was an English theologian and Franciscan friar, most famous as a proponent of what has become known as Occam's razor." — William of Ockham "A Letter to the Friars Minor" (1334) as translated in A Letter to the Friars Minor and other Writings (1995) edited by A. S. McGrade and John Kilcullen, p. 204." — William of Ockham "Plurality is never to be posited without necessity." — William of Ockham "Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate." — William of Ockham