Why was William of Ockham considered to be the initiator of

William if Ockham was a philosopher and theologian born is southern England (1285). He joined the Franciscans and eventually became prominent in that religious order. Ockham studied at Oxford University and went on to teach theology there. The tradition that he was Duns Scotus’ pupil was probably correct, as his influence can be seen in Ockham’s writings. In 1324, Pope John XXII summoned him to Avignon, France, to answer charges of heresy. Ockham remained in Avignon …showed first 75 words of 1681 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1681 total…descriptive, not actual. He accepts the sovereignty of God but rejects the teaching authority of the Church, since it is an abstraction, not a real entity. From God comes causality, and the omnipotence of God excludes the possibility of contradiction in his works. In this way, we can say that William of Ockham, through his nominalism and foundations for what became known as British empiricism, is the initiator of the “modern way” of doing philosophy.