William of Ockham is probably best remembered for his idea of metaphysical nominalism and "Okham's Razor," which is obviously named after him. William of Ockham was born between 1285- 1287 in Surrey, England soon to be named Ockham (Spade). Since historians know little to none about Ockham's birth and childhood we have to assume dates by inferring from what was written down about events of his life. He was a medieval English philosopher and Franciscan monk. At an early age, estimating preteen
Shusaku Endo's Silence The novel Silence has provoked much discussion on Loyola's campus this semester. As a predominantly Christian community, we find that the themes and dilemmas central to its plot land much closer to home for us than they would for many other schools: to non-Christians, the question of whether to deny (the Christian) God--for any reason--may not necessarily be such a personal one. Jesus' commandments to love God above all and one's neighbor as oneself do not find a parallel
This paper briefly outlines William of Ockham’s life and taking a historical approach, special focus will be on his involvement in the controversy in the Franciscan Order. This will involve the background and circumstances at the time he thrived, the gist of the matter at hand, how he handles the issue, Outcome and consequences. General Observations will be outlined leading to the conclusion. William of Ockham was born at around 1287 in the village of Ockham in Surrey, East London in England. At
positing nothing more than concrete individuals in the world. First, I will present paradigmatic statements of realism and conventionalism as developed by Russell and Strawson. Then, I will present the nominalist alternative as developed by William of Ockham. Realism and conventionalism are commonly taken to be the primary contenders in the debate over universals. Does abstract language refer to abstract things in the world? The realist answers yes, leaving us with an inflated ontology, the conventionalist
The capacity of the mind is seemingly limitless. Understanding that, the formation of a completely separate entity within the mind of an already perspicacious individual becomes less remarkable. The ensuing battle between William Wilson and “a second William Wilson” is quite simply a conflict between the two most basic components of a person’s intellect – mankind’s perception of self, and the benevolently interloping conscience (Poe 1570). The conscience is a universal concept. The majority of people
consist of picture, paper, and ink. When you see an average television, it is made up of plastic, glass, and/or metal substances. The house that someone might live in ... ... middle of paper ... ...y of modern causation are pretty clear. William of Ockham agreed with only one of Aristotle’s theories of causation but argued that the other three weren’t valid because of the lack of human experience within each theory. The Aristotelian four fold theory of causation consisted of four main causes:
you do not have the human. How does William of Ockham account for this metaphysical dilemma? What is the difference between our humanity and Christ’s humanity? Would a classical extensional mereologist accept or reject Ockham’s definition of Christ’s humanity? This paper is divided into four sections: (I) Ockham’s View of Humanity; (II) Ockham’s Metaphysical Response to the Theological Issue of Christ’s Death; (III) The Classical Extensional Mereological
Razor Background William of Ockham, also referred to as “The Invincible Doctor”, was a fourteenth-century, medieval English philosopher known for his sharp mind and writings on logic, philosophy, theology, and politics. He was ordained in 1306 and pursued a degree in theology from Oxford University, but never completed his studies. He considered himself to be a follower of Aristotle however, his approach to philosophy was considered radical at the time. In metaphysics, Ockham favored nominalism
lives of William and Ellen Craft after their published work, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom, in 1860. The research will first glance at the important events following the end of the narrative. Secondly, this paper will address some issues that William and/or Ellen voiced participation in while their time in England, along with their return to the United States. Finally, the paper will conclude with an insight to the reaction of the public of their narrative. The narrative of William and Ellen
saturates the mundane milieu of religion. Throughout the pages, Tillich provides an alternative ontological examination of the necessity in a belief of the Ultimate. The emblematic apologetic approach, as articulated in the works of St. Anselm, William of Ockham, and Duns Scotus, is destabilized by Tillich’s radical exposition that: If God is being – viz., the highest being-in-itself – then God cannot be the “Creator”. Consequently, God must be
Augusta Ada King or Count of Lovelace was born with the name Augusta Ada Byron but who’s now known as Ada Lovelace was born on December 10th, during the year of 1815. She was born in London and died November 27th, in 1852. She was the daughter of a famous poet known as Lord Byron. Ada is reflected to have printed instructions for the first computer program in the mid 1800s. She was best known for being a skilled mathematician. Ada Lovelace was encouraged to be a mathematician from her mother who
Freedom is a human value that has inspired many poets, politicians, spiritual leaders, and philosophers for centuries. Poets have rhapsodized about freedom for centuries. Politicians present the utopian view that a perfect society would be one where we all live in freedom, and spiritual leaders teach that life is a spiritual journey leading the soul to unite with God, thus achieving ultimate freedom and happiness. In addition, we have the philosophers who perceive freedom as an inseparable part of
implies that the individual in certain circumstances can make a choice from several possible actions. The non-physical theories consider dualistically that the events in the brain that lead to action, can not be reduced to physical explanations. William of Ockham and Thomas ...
occurrences but rather the result of a consensus of people (Reese 533). Plato expresses these ideas in The Republic when he says that society is created to meet human needs (Encyclopedia 1). Various other philosophers, including Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham, Marsilius of Padua, and Richard Hooker, incorporated the concept of a social contract in their applications to political theory (Encyclopedia 1). None of these philosophers, however, made the social contract their primary focus. They included
discoveries regarding vision. He did this by simply performing observations and having people stare directly at the sun. Ibn al-Haytham changed the way science was viewed by telling people to simply look in order to gain information. Later, William of Ockham came up with the idea that “when you have multiple ways to explain something, go with the one that has the least amount of assumptions” (Powers, 1999, p. 4). My interpretation of this is that you shouldn’t make something harder than it needs
The Reformation was a decisive period in the history not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the entire world. The causes of this tumultuous point in history did not burst on the scene all at once, but slowly gained momentum like a boil that slowly festers through time before it finally bursts open. The Reformation of the Church was inevitable because of the abuses which the Church was suffering during this period. At the time of the Reformation, a segment of the Church had drifted away from
Martin Luther authored the Protestant Reformation. It is undisputed the supreme prominence that it deserves in the great religious revolution of the sixteenth century. But for the unique personality of the former Augustinian monk was, it seems clear that the success of the reformer is also due, in large part, to the concurrence of a series of particularly appropriate circumstances. Luther had the art of being an interpreter of ideas and feelings widespread among his countrymen and then happened to
The Nominalism versus Realism debate consumes philosophical discourse in the medieval era. Heavy hitting philosophers like Abelard, William of Ockham, and Roger Bacon wrote extensively on these subjects, giving modern scholars the ability to dissect their texts, and apply their arguments to current day issues in philosophy and morality. Nominalism, a highly prominent view in the medieval ages, causes problems in today’s society if accepted wholesale. Realism, on the other hand, considers more closely
that standardized extracts cannot be effectively utilized in self-care but when it comes to using plants for everyday medicine, long-term healing and prolonged health, it is best to use plants in their natural state. The Franciscan friar, William of Ockham who has been attributed to the principle known as Occam’s Razor which basically states that “when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better”. I could not agree more and when it comes
The Metaphysics of John Duns Scotus The ecclesiastical condemnation of Aristoteleanism and Arabian philosophy in 1277, which included some of the theses of Thomas Aquinas, had a profound influence on the subsequent development of medieval philosophy. Of course, opposition to Greco-Arabian philosophy was nothing new in the 13th century. Its opening decades had seen the newly translated work of Aristotle and Averroes forbidden; yet their vogue spread, and in the years that followed a reconciliation