William of Ockham

The greatest challenge in studying the life of Johannes Ockeghem is the discouraging absence of concrete evidence of the date of his birth and death, specifics of life activity, and even original manuscripts. This lack of records and information results from the cultural practices of preserving this sort of data, which are not as meticulous compared to today’s. Scholars and musicologists however study Ockeghem because he “had added something to the musical knowledge of his time” (Krenek, 7)1. In opening pages of Johannes Ockeghem, Krenek generally describes Ockeghem’s overall lifespan of activity. Ockeghem was born around 1430 in East Flanders (Belgium today) and studied with either Guillaume Dufay in Cambrai or with Gille Binchois, Flemish composer. He was appointed treasurer of the Abbey of St. Martin in Tours, a position of high regard and wealth, in 1459. He returned to Paris in 1461 and four years later is assumed to have been the master of the chapel royal in the service of Louis XI. After visiting Spain in 1469 and Flanders in 1484, Ockeghem returned to Tours and passed away in approximately 1495. On his musical style, Krenek describes Ockeghem as a “cerebralist” because of his tendency to write music in order to solve a logical problem which he created and his treatment of musical expression and emotionality as secondary if present at all. It is not only Ockeghem’s intellectualism that sets him apart from his contemporaries but also his audacious innovation. Krenek…

"I'm not a theoretician about playwriting, but I have a strong sense that plays have to be pitched - the scene, the line, the word - at the exact point where the audience has just the right amount of information. It's like Occam's razor,” said Tom Stoppard, a dramatist. (Brainy Quote) Stoppard wanted to give an example of how Occam’s razor is used in real life. Occam’s razor is a principle about philosophy and William of Ockham, an English Franciscan friar, philosopher, and theologian, created…

inclined is to live in society” (IEP). Aquinas believes the most ideal government system is a monarch, during this time most European countries were ruled by monarchs who were given the “divine right” (subjected to no earthly authority). Aquinas argued that the point of the government was to unite and make peace, so one person was ideal for this position, “human society is therefore best that is governed by a single authority of an eminently wise and just monarch who resembles God as much as…

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.…

During the years following the Patristic era, Christian theologians and philosophers began to move away from mysticism and Neo-Platonism in order to synthesize Christian doctrine with systematic Aristotelian philosophy. This movement would be come known as Scholasticism, and it would become the principle school of thought throughout the medieval period. During this period, the line between philosophy and theology was blurred, and the problems of, psychology, metaphysics, and ethics were admitted…

John Duns Scotus (1265/66-1308) is defentely an interesting figure. He was a Scottish philosopher and Franciscan theologian of the Medieval period. He was one of the most important Scholastic theologians of the later Middle Ages, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham and St. Bonaventure, and the founder of a special form of Scholasticism, which came to be known as Scotism. He was also an early adopter of the doctrine of Voluntarism (philosophy basics). Scotus has been described as a…

Systems with physical narratives will generally be elevated above the ones with only mathematical formulas for justification. The option with the fewest and simplest assumptions allows the broadest application and greatest reinforcement. This option will be called “the simplest Occam.” Hypotheses are always assumed true. Inductive arguments, as this presentation must be, are seldom supported by deductive proof but by the strength and productivity of their inductive conclusions and by the…

contracting measles in June 1829. They forced her on bed rest for a year, where she continued her technological and mathematical skills. Stein, 1985 She did experiments herself with flying by attempting to construct a pair of wings that integrated steam with the idea of flying.Toole, 1998 ==Relationships and Family== Ada was presented at Court at age 17 and regularly attended by 1834 and became known for having a “brilliant mind” and mouth like her father’s. On July 8, 1835, she married…

The simplest argument advocated mostly by materialists is known as Ockham’s Razor, by which if all else is equal, the simplest hypothesis should be accepted; in the words of William of Ockham, “Do not multiply entities beyond what is strictly necessary to explain the phenomena.” Where materialists believe that the only existing is substance is physical matter, Dualists believe in both matter and mind. Another objection to dualism is known as the relative explanatory impotence. It is clearly…

sadness. The Black Death occurred in the 14th century and lasted approximately 3 years in Europe. More than 50 million people got infected ,that is near ⅔ of China's population in those times. These disease cause shocking impacts not just in society, religion, and economy. The Black Death invaded Europe when 12 ships arrived at Sicilian port of Messina, coming from the Black Sea. Some people were already dead and others were in really bad conditions. Before the Black Death arrived to Europe…