PHILOSOPHER

William of Ockham

1285 - 1347

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William of Ockham or Occam ( OK-əm; Latin: Gulielmus Occamus; c. 1287 – 9/10 April 1347) was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, apologist, and theologian, who was 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 corresponding to the commonly ascribed date of his death on 10 April. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. William of Ockham is the 118th most popular philosopher (down from 114th in 2019), the 191st most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 135th in 2019) and the 9th most popular British Philosopher.

William of Ockham is most famous for his principle of parsimony, also known as Occam's Razor. This principle states that the simplest explanation is usually the best one.

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Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, William of Ockham ranks 118 out of 1,267. Before him are Bodhidharma, John Scotus Eriugena, Gilles Deleuze, Meister Eckhart, Padmasambhava, and Tertullian. After him are Ibn Taymiyyah, Bonaventure, Henri de Saint-Simon, Emmanuel Levinas, Ramon Llull, and Willard Van Orman Quine.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1285, William of Ockham ranks 1. After him are Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan, Ferdinand IV of Castile, An-Nasir Muhammad, Emperor Go-Nijō, Sancia of Majorca, Elisabeth of Austria, Duchess of Lorraine, Baldwin of Luxembourg, Michael of Trebizond, Ferrer Bassa, Al-Mustakfi I, and Euphemia of Pomerania. Among people deceased in 1347, William of Ockham ranks 1. After him are Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Joan III, Countess of Burgundy, John XIV of Constantinople, and Maria of Navarre.

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, William of Ockham ranks 191 out of 8,785. Before him are Bon Scott (1946), Terry Pratchett (1948), Alan Hodgkin (1914), Alexander R. Todd (1907), George Harrison (1943), and Charles Glover Barkla (1877). After him are Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover (1771), Maggie Smith (1934), Victoria, Princess Royal (1840), John Napier (1550), Paul Dirac (1902), and Robert Robinson (1886).

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Among PHILOSOPHERS In United Kingdom

Among philosophers born in United Kingdom, William of Ockham ranks 9. Before him are Thomas Hobbes (1588), David Hume (1711), Thomas More (1478), Herbert Spencer (1820), Roger Bacon (1220), and Jeremy Bentham (1748). After him are Joseph Priestley (1733), John Wycliffe (1324), Duns Scotus (1265), John Venn (1834), Thomas Reid (1710), and Pelagius (360).

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