Ockham, the most influential and great philosopher of the fourteenth century, is also one of the most important logicians.
William of Ockham joined the Franciscan sect at an early age. It is believed that he studied theology at Oxford University from 1309 to 1321, but did not achieve his master's degree (university graduation at that time). For this reason, he was later nicknamed "Respectable initiator" or "Respected novice" (although known as the invincible, unconquerable doctor).
First, he started working on anti-religious thoughts. He died of the plague in 1348, during the Great Plague Epidemic that swept across Europe.
William of Ockham, (c. 1287 – 10 April 1347) was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, apologist, and Catholic theologian, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of the 14th century. He is commonly known for Occam's razor, the methodological principle that bears his name, and also produced significant works on logic, physics and theology. William is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on the 10th of April.
It cannot be said that we know much about the life of Guillelmus de Ockham. Ockham, the most influential and great philosopher of the fourteenth century, is also one of the most important logicians. He was born in 1285 in the village of Ockham in Surrey, near London. In about 1309, as a young man studying at Oxford University, he entered the Franciscan order. The works of Duns Scotus were held in high esteem at that time. He completed his studies at Oxford in 1315 and lectured first on the Bible (1315-1317) and then on the Sententiae (1317-1319). In the four years that followed this four-year period, he produced no work. He had discussions on some subjects and attended religious services. The most remarkable point in Ockham's life is that such a successful and influential philosopher could not get a chair at any university. According to historians, the reason for this situation was the excess of people waiting in line in front of Ockham. Thus, despite having completed all the necessary formalities, Ockham never attained the title of magister in theology. It is said that John Lutterel, who was the rector of the university and accused Ockham of heresy, was also influential in this.
Unable to obtain the chair he expected after completing his education, Ockham taught at the studium generale in London and wrote various philosophical works until 1324. All of these works were of a non-political nature. In 1323, Lutterel handed over a file containing Ockham's 56 heretical theses to the Pope and accused him of heresy. Ockham's 51 theses were censored, as he went to Avignon, where the Pope was, to defend himself; but none of them were formally convicted. While in Avignon, however, he found himself in the middle of a quarrel between the Papacy and the Franciscan order. He took refuge with the Holy Roman German Emperor Louis of Bavaria, whose reign was not recognized by the Pope, together with the members of the sect, who escaped from the Pope's wrath. Here he wrote many political articles against the Pope. Ockham is alleged to have said the following words to the Emperor, although it is not certain: “Emperor, defend me with your sword; I will defend you with my pen." Judging by his tombstone, he died on April 10, 1347. His death was most likely due to the plague (Aspell, 1999: 317-318).
As far as we know, Ockham wrote his philosophical and theological works in Oxford, where he stayed between 1317-1323, and in Avignon, where he stayed between 1324-1328 to answer accusations against him. He wrote his polemical and political writings in Munich, where he stayed between 1330-1347, as we mentioned above. Among the works of logic, the most important are Expositio Super Librum Porphyrii (Explanation on the Book of Porphyrios), Expositio Super Librum Praedicamentorum (Explanation on the Book of Predicates – This book contains discussions and comments on Aristotle's Categories, that is, substance and the nine accidents), Summa Totius Logicae (The Sum of All Logic – In this work, Ockham writes various views and theses on terms, propositions, and arguments), Compendium Logicae (Book of Concise Knowledge of Logic).
Ockham's other works include Expositio in Libros Physicorum (Explanation on Physics Books), Summulae in Libros Physicorum (Summary on Physics Books), Quaestiones in Libros Physicorum (Questions on Physics Books), Tractatus de Praedestinatione et de Praesia Deienti et Futuris Destiny and Future Possible Things and Research on God's Foreknowledge), Quaestiones Variae (Miscellaneous Questions).