![]() ![]() Entering the Franciscan order at an early age, he commenced his course of theological study at Oxford in 1309 or 1310, and completed the requirements for the degree of master of theology with the delivery of his lectures on Peter Lombard's Book of Sentences in 1318 –1319, or, at the latest, 1319 –1320. science.William of Ockham, the most influential philosopher of the fourteenth century, apparently was born sometime between 12 at the village of Ockham, in Surrey, near London. How is the divine command theory related to ethics and morality?įaith vs. They were happy to accept God's revelation through the Scriptures and the leading of the Holy Spirit, and equally content to know that no matter how they analyzed God, there would always be questions for which they would find no answer. Unlike today, when lack of scientific proof is a common excuse for denying the existence of God, Ockham and his compatriots, who loved to dissect the minutiae of any subject, left God to Himself. In reaction, Thomas á Kempis wrote, "Were you to memorize the entire Bible and all the sayings of the philosophers, what good would this be for you without the love of God and without grace?" ( The Imitation of Christ).īut Ockham's line of thinking showed a great amount of faith and trust in God. But his, and other philosophers like him, love of philosophical subtleties and precise use of language alienated others who wished to concentrate on the simplicity of the gospel. In his scholarly way, William of Ockham championed beliefs that we live with today, such as separation between church and state, freedom of speech, and papal fallibility. The fact that God's rules are beneficial for us is because God acts not only in power and authority but also in love. God's judgment alone determines morality. In regards to ethics, Ockham was a proponent of the Divine Command Theory which asserts a rule is good if God commands it. As the Creator, God had the authority and certainly the power to act outside of natural law. Ockham followed the lead of John Duns Scotus and other fideists, however, and believed the God Who created logic and reason was not bound by them. The earlier Christian philosophers, such as Thomas Aquinas, believed everything could be proven by reason, including the existence of God, the incarnation of Jesus, and the need for the crucifixion. He did not, however, extend their usage into theology. ![]() Ockham was a champion of reason and logic, and used them extensively in his writings of philosophy, knowledge, and politics. Although Ockham was excommunicated for leaving Avignon, he was reinstated by Pope Innocent VI twelve years after his death. ![]() The Emperor, Louis IV of Bavaria, was glad to have such an elegant scholar who was also so critical of the pope, and Ockham wrote an apologetic as to why the emperor, and not the pope, should rule the empire. Ockham found John guilty of deliberate heresy in the face of biblical proof and was forced to flee with John's other accusers to Italy and seek the protection of the Holy Roman Emperor. Pope John disagreed, believing God's servants had a right to own as much property as they wished. ![]() The Franciscan brothers (of whom Ockham was one) believed God's servants should follow the examples of Jesus and His apostles, keeping a vow of poverty and owning no individual property. The charges were eventually dropped, and he was called on to investigate Pope John XXII for heresy. His commentary was so ill-received he was called to defend his beliefs at the papal court at Avignon. While there, he wrote about philosophy and theology, including a critique of theologian Peter Lombard's 1150 work Sentences. From there, he went to Oxford to study theology, but left before he finished the program and returned to Greyfriars. Born in Oak Hamlet in England around 1287, he went to London to study logic and natural philosophy at Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary. William of Ockham (also spelled Occam) would have known this. In the second century AD, Ptolemy said, "We consider it a good principle to explain the phenomena by the simplest hypothesis possible." The sentiment wasn't original to Ockham, however. There's no need to complicate an explanation beyond what is necessary. The principle states that if there are several possible hypotheses, the simplest one is probably correct. The philosophical construct "Occam's Razor" is fairly well known, but few people know anything about its originator. ![]()
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