22+ William of Ockham Quotes On Education, Religion And Colonialism

William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher and theologian of the 14th century. He is best known for his principle of parsimony, known as Occam's razor, which states that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily. He is also known for his contributions to nominalism, the recognition of the metaphysical distinction between essence and existence. Following is our collection on famous quotes by William of Ockham on education, religion, colonialism.

Top 10 William Of Ockham Quotes

1. The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct.
2. Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
3. For nothing ought to be posited without a reason given, unless it is self-evident (literally, known through itself) or known by experience or proved by the authority of Sacred Scripture.
4. With all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one.
5. It is vain to do with more what can be done with less.
6. Simpler explanations are, other things being equal, generally better than more complex ones.
7. 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, and 7 is a prime. Why bother with non-prime numbers when the primes can do everything?
8. First it must be known that only a spoken word or a conventional sign is an equivocal or univocal term; therefore a mental contentor concept is, strictly speaking, neither equivocal nor univocal.
9. Of two equivalent theories or explanations, all other things being equal, the simpler one is to be preferred.
10. Whenever two hypotheses cover the facts, use the simpler of the two.

William Of Ockham Short Quotes

• Plurality should not be assumed without necessity.
• Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity.
• Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.
• God's existence cannot be deduced by reason alone.
• Entities should not be posited unnecessarily.
• No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary.
• Plurality is not to be posited without necessity.

William of Ockham Famous Quotes And Sayings

My God is the green tide in the spring leaves the redness of cherries high in the air the excitement of shooting stars the song of birds in summer branches the sunrise on a winter's morning the name of everything we don't understand. — William of Ockham

Intuitive cognition of a thing is cognition that enables us to know whether the thing exists or does not exist, in such a way that, if the thing exists, then the intellect immediately judges that it exists and evidently knows that it exists, unless the judgment happens to be impeded through the imperfection of this cognition. — William of Ockham

What can be explained by the assumption of fewer things is vainly explained by the assumption of more things. — William of Ockham

When you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better. — William of Ockham

Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate. A plurality (of reasons) should not be posited without necessity. — William of Ockham

Life Lessons by William of Ockham

1. William of Ockham's work emphasizes the importance of simplicity, advocating for the use of the simplest explanation or solution to a problem.
2. He also encourages skepticism and critical thinking, suggesting that we should not accept something as true just because it is widely accepted.
3. His work suggests that we should remain open-minded and use logic and reason to make decisions, rather than relying on tradition or authority.