William of Ockham

Work of Ninety Days

Critique of papal power and ecclesiastical authority in governance

About the author

William of Ockham
William of Ockham

English Franciscan philosopher whose principle of parsimony—Ockham's Razor—remains the most quoted methodological rule in science and philosophy. His nominalism denied the existence of universals, shaping the empiricist tradition. He was excommunicated for opposing papal authority.

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