− | '''Duns Scotus''' | + | The blessed '''John Duns Scotus''', was one of the most important [[theology|theologians]] and [[philosopher | philosophers]] of the High [[Middle Ages]] (the others being [[Aquinas]], [[William_of_Ockham|Ockham]] and [[Bonaventura]]. He was nicknamed ''Doctor Subtilis'' for his penetrating and subtle manner of thought. |
− | (Brief introduction) | + | Scotus has had considerable influence on [[Roman Catholic]] thought. The doctrines for which he is best known are the [[univocity of being]] (existence is the most abstract concept we have, applicable to everything that exists), the [[formal distinction]], a way of distinguishing between different aspects of the same thing, and the idea of [[haecceity]], a property supposed to be in each individual thing that makes it an individual. Scotus also developed a complex argument for the [[Existence of God | existence of God]], and argued for the [[Immaculate conception]] of [[Mary]]. |