William of Occam Biography

William of Occam biography, further reading: Encyclopaedia Britannica,  Big Bang by Simon Singh

William of Occam biography, outline: Franciscan philosopher,  born 1285, Occam, Surrey, invented Occam's razor,, died 1349 Munich, Germany from the Black Death. Alternative spelling - Ockham.

Not much is known of William of Occam's early life. He was a youngster when he entered the Franciscan order and his early schooling concentrated on logic; an interest that never waned.

William of Occam studied theology at the University of Oxford, and came to the view that religious orders should not be wealthy or own property because Jesus and his Apostles had renounced all rights to ownership. For this, he was driven from from Oxford and moved to a convent in Avignon where he declared the Pope to be a heretic for not following the Franciscan vow of poverty, and for producing religious texts that were full of errors. He was excommunicated. 

Occam's razor

William of Occam is most famous for inventing, what is now called, Occam's razor. Occam's razor suggests that for two competing theories, all else being equal, the simpler theory is more likely to be correct.