Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy

2011 Edition
| Editors: Henrik Lagerlund

William of Ockham

  • Stephen F. Brown
Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9729-4_535
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Abstract

William of Ockham, most famous for “Ockham’s Razor,” was an English Franciscan theological and philosophical author whose academic work was mostly done in England. He never became a Master of Theology, but he did teach at Oxford from 1317–1319, commenting there on the “Sentences of Peter Lombard.” He earned in the Middle Ages the title “Venerable Inceptor,” so it is presumed that he began the early ceremony (the inceptio) that formally initiated entry into the rank of Master. However, he was stopped en route. “Ockham’s Razor” is essentially the principle of parsimony. This principle, established long before Ockham, gained its name from him because of his more frequent appeal to this device in all the areas of his theology and philosophy.

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Bibliography

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© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Authors and Affiliations

  • Stephen F. Brown
    • 1
  1. 1.Institute of Medieval Philosophy and TheologyBoston CollegeChestnut HillUSA