I use Occam's (or "Ockham's") Razor, i.e. "Pluralitas non est ponenda
sine necessitate" (the scientific principle, roughly stated, that
simpler explanations are to be preferred over complex ones) in one of
my E-Mail signatures, and I wish to append the (at least approximate)
year in which it was first said. In which year did Occam ("Ockham")
first formulate his now world-famous "Razor"?

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Request for Question Clarification by revbrenda1st-ga on 27 Feb 2003 11:40 PST

Hi grandrascal,

Bearing in mind that this man lived in the medieval era (born ~1285;
died~1349) when record-keeping wasn't an exact science, I can only
narrow the date down to within a 19 year span. Would this suit you?

Regards,
revbrenda1st

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Clarification of Question by grandrascal-ga on 27 Feb 2003 12:42 PST

Nineteen years! Ouch! I had hoped for a more precise answer, but if
that's all you've got, that's all you've got. Go for it.

Hi again, grandrascal,

I'm sorry I couldn't nail it down closer for you. From the websites
I've ploughed though, I can't even state definitively that William of
Occam, (aka Doctor Invincibilis; aka Venerabilis Inceptor - <
http://paedpsych.jk.uni-linz.ac.at/INTERNET/ARBEITSBLAETTERORD/PHILOSOPHIEORD/Occam.html
>) was born in 1285 or died in 1349. Birth date varies from 1285 to
'about' 1285; death date varies from 1347-1349.

Something I saw which amused me greatly was a modern-day translation
of Occam's Razor -- "Keep it simple, stupid." What a hoot!


It was most likely he advocated his Razor during his teaching years in
Paris.

"About 1320 he became a teacher at the University of Paris where he
composed his works on Aristotelean physics and logic."

More About William Occam
http://www.occaminsight.com/More%20About%20William%20of%20Occam.htm


Occam ran afoul of the pope, John XXII in 1324. He was imprisoned and
eventually excommunicated, but managed to escape to the protection of
Emperor Louis (who'd also been excommunicated.)

"They followed the emperor to Munich (Germany) in 1330, where Ockham
wrote fervently against the papacy in a series of treatises on papal
power and civil sovereignty. The medieval rule of parsimony, or
principle of economy, frequently used by Ockham came to be known as
Ockham's razor."

William of Occam
http://wotug.ukc.ac.uk/parallel/www/occam/occam-bio.html


At the time of his death from the Black Plague (in either 1347 or
1349) he was once again in trouble with the pope (now Clement VI). If
he'd not died he'd have been called onto the papal carpet for his
writings during these Munich years.

William of Ockham [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/o/ockham.htm

I should think that an attribution date of c.1320 would be acceptable
for your signature. If he was born in 1285, he'd have been 35 years
old at the time. That would assuredly have been long enough for him to
develop his thoughts on the subject, and his position as a teacher
would give him the venue to expound them. Of course, he mightn't have
'published it' as such by that time.

I feel the window we are looking at would cover the period from 1315
to 1335. This allows him time to formulate, expound and teach, and
publish. It was certainly enough time to get him into a heap of
trouble with the powers that were during this time.


As the man himself said, "Pluralitas non est ponenda sine
necessitate."    :)

I wish you well,
revbrenda1st

Search strategy:

William of Occam
://www.google.ca/search?q=William+of+Occam&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

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Request for Answer Clarification by grandrascal-ga on 01 Mar 2003 12:48 PST

> I should think that an attribution date of c.1320 would be
 > acceptable for your signature.

I guess I can live with that. Thanks!!!    :)

--               >>>>> "Xxxxx X.," <X###Xxxx@ZZZ.Net> <<<<<
                       ------------------------------
               "Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate."
                       ------------------------------
                        William of Occam, circa 1320

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Clarification of Answer by revbrenda1st-ga on 01 Mar 2003 14:47 PST

Thanks so much, Grandrascal, for such a nice comment, rating, and tip. 

Grateful regards,
revbrenda1st

The researcher wasn't able to pin down an exact date, as I had hoped,
but this is clarly not his fault; he did an exceptional job given the
difficulty of the material he had to work with, and I'm tossing a few
extra $$$ his way as a result. He deserves it.