Description
“Who is the real father of modern philosophy? Who put an end to the main thrust of mediæval philosophy? The answer suggested by this book is: the fourteenth-century British Franciscan, William of Ockham. His writings in theology and philosophy have but recently been partly published in critical editions issued by St. Bonaventure University Press, N.Y. Long before the French claimed that René Descartes started the 'modern way' of philosophizing, or the British gave the same doubtful honor to Francis Bacon, this William from Surrey clearly introduced the sort of radical empiricism that has characterized post-medieval thought in the West. Harry Klocker has been studying and writing on Ockham’s thought since the mid-1950s. His research articles were published in journals (The Illif Review, The Modern Schoolman, Franciscan Studies, The Thomist) not much read by historians of modern philosophy. Spread over the years 1958 to 1983, these studies are revised and gathered in the present useful book. There are a few other good books on Ockham, by scholars like Marilyn M. Adams, Gordon Leff and Ernest Moody, but Klocker’s work is a welcome addition to the literature.” — Vernon J. Bourke, Saint Louis University. From the review in The Modern Schoolman.
