Person

William of Ockham

c. 1287–1347 · 14th century

William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and philosopher, one of the leading thinkers of late medieval scholasticism. Summoned to Avignon over his teachings, he sided with his order's leaders against Pope John XXII in the dispute over apostolic poverty and fled in 1328 to Louis IV of Bavaria, living in Munich until his death in 1347. The principle of economy in explanation known as Ockham's razor bears his name.

William of Ockham — Image: self-created (Moscarlop) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Duchy of BavariaImpact

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). William of Ockham. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-of-ockham
MLA: “William of Ockham.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-of-ockham. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “William of Ockham.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-of-ockham.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘William of Ockham’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-of-ockham (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻