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Deflecting Ockham’s Razor: A Medieval Debate about Ontological Commitment
Mind ( IF 1.8 ) Pub Date : 2023-04-26 , DOI: 10.1093/mind/fzad007 Susan Brower-Toland 1
Mind ( IF 1.8 ) Pub Date : 2023-04-26 , DOI: 10.1093/mind/fzad007 Susan Brower-Toland 1
Affiliation
William of Ockham (d. 1347) is well known for his commitment to parsimony and for his so-called ‘razor’ principle. But little is known about attempts among his own contemporaries to deflect his use of the razor. In this paper, I explore one such attempt. In particular, I consider a clever challenge that Ockham’s younger contemporary, Walter Chatton (d. 1343) deploys against the razor. The challenge involves a kind of dilemma for Ockham. Depending on how Ockham responds to this dilemma, his razor will, Chatton argues, either prove unacceptably dull when it comes to determining ontological commitment or prove unacceptably sharp when it comes to determining commitments entailed by certain theological doctrines. While Chatton’s objection is subtle and interesting in its own right, the broader significance of the debate between these thinkers lies in the light it sheds on medieval approaches to issues surrounding metaphysical methodology.
中文翻译:
偏转奥卡姆剃刀:关于本体论承诺的中世纪辩论
奥卡姆的威廉(卒于 1347 年)以其对节俭的承诺和所谓的“剃刀”原则而闻名。但鲜为人知的是,与他同时代的人试图改变他对剃须刀的使用方式。在这篇论文中,我探索了这样一种尝试。特别是,我考虑了与奥卡姆同时代的年轻一代沃尔特·查顿(Walter Chatton,卒于 1343 年)针对剃刀展开的一项巧妙挑战。挑战涉及奥卡姆的一种困境。查顿认为,根据奥卡姆对这一困境的回应,他的剃刀要么在确定本体论承诺时表现得令人无法接受地迟钝,要么在确定某些神学教义所蕴含的承诺时表现得异常敏锐。虽然查顿的反对意见本身是微妙而有趣的,
更新日期:2023-04-26
中文翻译:
偏转奥卡姆剃刀:关于本体论承诺的中世纪辩论
奥卡姆的威廉(卒于 1347 年)以其对节俭的承诺和所谓的“剃刀”原则而闻名。但鲜为人知的是,与他同时代的人试图改变他对剃须刀的使用方式。在这篇论文中,我探索了这样一种尝试。特别是,我考虑了与奥卡姆同时代的年轻一代沃尔特·查顿(Walter Chatton,卒于 1343 年)针对剃刀展开的一项巧妙挑战。挑战涉及奥卡姆的一种困境。查顿认为,根据奥卡姆对这一困境的回应,他的剃刀要么在确定本体论承诺时表现得令人无法接受地迟钝,要么在确定某些神学教义所蕴含的承诺时表现得异常敏锐。虽然查顿的反对意见本身是微妙而有趣的,