Individuality in the Franciscan Thought of John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham

This seminar will examine the doctrine of individuality (and individuation) developed by the two Franciscan thinkers John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham and the configuration of their thought as one or another form of discursive “individualism.”  It does so against the backdrop of their participation within the Franciscan spiritual tradition on the one hand and the Aristotelianism of their university environment and training. In so doing, it explores a properly historical understanding of a philosophical figure’s choice of discursive type. Texts: Francis of Assisi, Collected Works; John Duns Scotus, Philosophical Writings, On Individuation; William of Ockham, Philosophical Writings