It rests on a theory of mental representation that combined the notions of cause and signification. The theory of mental language in the fourteenth century was foremost developed by William Ockham. This aim he formulated in the celebrated 'Law of Parsimony', commonly called 'Ockhams Razor': 'Entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate'. The aim of this reformation movement in general was simplification. He remains a seminal thinker: his denial of common essences, his emphasis on language in philosophical discourse, all anticipate significant developments in modern philosophy. Although first accepting a similar view, Ockham would later subject this view to much criticism. In philosophy William advocated a reform of Scholasticism both in method and in content. Ockham takes his place among the great philosophers because, like them, he drew out all the implications of his insight. Indeed, an individual thing can no longer be said to have an essence it is an essence. A being is radically diverse and incommunicable, differing from every other being not only in number but in essence. The concept of being is univocal, standing for and signifying individuals. The abundant academic literature has sufficed to establish William as a major figure in medieval philosophy, worthy of being called William Ockham by. With Ockham the traditional conjugations of being come to signify the thing itself in its ineluctable unity. The original and focal point of Ockham's thought is the singular or individual thing (res singularis), as common nature (natura communis) is the central conception of Scotism, and the act of existing (esse) is of Thomism. Martin Heidegger once declared, 'Every thinker thinks but one single thought'. Over and again he sets each principle to powerful use, but allows no single one ot dominate, or to yield all its consequences. As his title suggests, Maurer believes that most of Ockhams distinctive views can be traced back to a few basic. Yet it is precisely in confrontation with the views of his predecessors and contemporaries such as Scotus, Henry of Gent, Aquinas and Chatton that the particular force and character of his thought are revealed. These principles are not unique to Ockham but were common to all the scholastics. Many of his conclusions on matters as diverse as God's knowledge, will and power, on creation and the causality of natural things, and on human intuition and morality are reducible to them. The principles of the divine omnipotence and the rule of parsimony of thought known as 'Ockham's razor', and others like the principle of non-contradiction, help to shape the entire range of his thought. Every philosophy is sustained by a number of elemental principles that give it cohesion and unity.
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