Comparing Ockham And Aquinas

Scholastics is the bringing together into a system, the study of revealed religious truths and the philosophical writers of the past as a way to know, worship and serve God. Education was moving outside the cathedral and priest’s home and into a formal setting cities like Paris. The establishment of theology as a topic to be debated rather than a pathway to the heart of God is arguable the greatest disservice of this time in history. Attempting to resolve the questions of faith with the logic and reason of the classical philosophical writers, scholars used the concept of universals and particulars. Universal concepts are linguistically nouns. Red, chair, table, man are all universal concepts; they exist as an idea or image in our minds but can only be seen in individuals. Red apple, lounge chair, card table, Bob are particulars of the universal concept. The problem with these universal concepts is in knowing if they exist and if they do exist where; in our minds or in reality and finally how do they exist. For the evangelist or missionary the existence of a universal concept would help explain faith or God but in practicality neither is a universal concept. As we see in the world there are many gods and kinds of faith. Anselm, Ockham and Aquinas each started from a different place in trying to resolve …show more content…
Therefore, he believed only what could be named and only faith gives access to theological truth; not reason or natural law. With his “razor”, he cut away each part of an argument to reduce it down to the name of the phenomenon being studied. His intent was not the dismantling of faith but to challenge the direction of theologians who were bringing in philosophy when they could not prove faith otherwise. Ockham was convinced that through scripture alone could believers determine the heart and will of