Ockham Explained

by Rondo Keele

Overview

Ockham Explained is an important and much-needed resource on William of Ockham, one of the most important philosophers of the Middle Ages. His eventful and controversial life was marked by sharp career moves and academic and ecclesiastical battles. At 28, Ockham was a conservative English theologian focused obsessively on the nature of language, but by 40, he had transformed into a fugitive friar, accused of heresy, and finally protected by the German emperor as he composed incendiary treatises calling for strong limits on papal authority. This book provides a thorough grounding in Ockham’s life and his many contributions to philosophy. It begins with an overview of the philosopher's youth and the Aristotelian philosophy he studied as a boy. Subsequent chapters cover his ideas on language and logic; his metaphysics and vaunted "razor," as well as his opponents’ "anti-razor" theories; his invention of the church-state separation; and much more. The concluding chapter sums up Ockham's compelling philosophical personality and explains his modern appeal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812697100
Publisher:	Open Court Publishing Company
Publication date:	05/01/2010
Series:	Ideas Explained
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	746 KB

About the Author

Rondo Keele is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Louisiana Scholars' College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viii

1 Student, Teacher, Thief, Exile

Worthy Beginner-Invincible Doctor 1

2 The Young Man(Birth--1302)

Aristotle, The Church, and the Medieval University 11

3 The Student (1302--1317)

Ockham's Early Philosophy of Language 35

4 The Teacher at Oxford (1317--1319)

Ockham's Connotation Theory 61

5 The Teacher Attacked (1319--1321)

Razors and Anti-Razors 89

6 The Teacher Responds (1321--1323)

Physics and Motion 111

7 The Teacher Interrupted (1323--1328)

Ockham's Showdown with the Pope 137

8 The Exile in Munich (1328--1347)

Ockham's Political Theory 161

9 Afterword

Ockham's Influence and Legacy 175

Glossary 181

What to Read Next 183

Index 187