William of Ockham: Faith, Reason, and Secular Spirit
William of Ockham: Faith and Reason
Despite all the efforts of Thomas Aquinas to reconcile faith and reason, it soon became apparent that the matter was not easily resolved. It was increasingly difficult to reconcile them. William of Ockham’s work effectively certified the end of the debate. In the history of philosophy, there are times when we find that certain problems are unsolvable, and people lose interest in them. This is what happened with the problem of the relationship between faith and reason.
Much of the “blame” lay in the introduction of Aristotelian philosophy to solve it. Following Aristotelian theory, Ockham believed there are two ways of knowing: intuitive and abstractive.
- Intuitive knowledge shows us a clear and evident reality in itself.
- Abstractive knowledge is the result of an abstraction that the mind performs.
This empiricist position leads to a confrontation with faith because it makes no sense if the only dependable source of knowledge is sensory experience. Ockham concluded that where there is faith, there can be no reason, and where there is reason, there can be no faith. If an article of faith could be rationally demonstrated, faith would be unnecessary. Any attempt to demonstrate rationally the existence of God or any other proposition of faith that has no material content perceivable by the senses is doomed from the start.
Ockham on the Trinity
With respect to the dogma of the Trinity, Ockham wrote: “That one most simple essence is three really distinct persons is something that cannot convince any natural reason and is only affirmed by the Catholic faith.” He radically denied the possibility of any rational interpretation of this supreme truth of the Christian faith, marking the final sentence of scholasticism. Reason can no longer offer support and does not give transparency to revelation; only faith does. The Christian faith is a free gift of God.
Political Implications of Ockham’s Thought
Ockham experienced a period of transformation, not only of thought, but these theoretical debates also had a significant influence on political conception. Power is something exercised in the realm of the material, and it became increasingly difficult to justify its use on behalf of supernatural principles. The controversy resulted in questioning the justification of the earthly power of the papacy.
The Pope controlled vast territories in the Italian peninsula and was forced to defend them with an army, like any other country.
Ockham proposed that everything related to faith should be part of individual freedom, and therefore, the papacy is not entitled to impose religious views on anyone. This was the logical answer against a wealthy, authoritarian, and despotic papacy.
Ockham and the Franciscans
The thesis defended by Ockham and the Franciscans was the absolute poverty of Christ and his apostles, who just wanted to be a spiritual community. Material matters had no great significance; the spirit governs the life of the Church. These ideas caused William many problems.
The Legacy of William of Ockham
William of Ockham is the figure who perfectly embodies the multiple attitudes of the late medieval period and opens the fourteenth century. He initiates the secular spirit because his doctrine and his life embodied the emerging assertion of the ideals of the dignity of all men.