William of Ockham

William of Ockham or Occam OFM (/ˈɒkəm/ OK-əm; Latin: Gulielmus Occamus;[7][8] c. 1285 – 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.[9] 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.[10]

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William of Ockham OFM
William of Ockham depicted on a stained glass window at All Saints' Church, Ockham[1]
Born	1285 (1285) Ockham, Surrey, England
Died	9 April 1347(1347-04-09) (aged 59–60) Munich, Duchy of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire
Education	Greyfriars, London[2]
Alma mater	University of Oxford[3][4]
Notable work	Summa Logicae
Era	14th-century philosophy Medieval philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Scholasticism Occamism Nominalism[lower-alpha 1] Theological voluntarism[5]
Main interests	Natural philosophy metaphysics epistemology theology logic ontology politics Theological voluntarism
Notable ideas	Occam's razor Nominalism Empiricism[6]