John Punch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1603 |
| Died | 1661 (aged 57–58) Paris, France |
| Alma mater | St Anthony's College, Louvain College of St. Isidore, Rome |
| Occupation(s) | Friar,priest, philosopher and theologian |
John Punch (orJohn Ponce or, in the Latinate form,Johannes Poncius)[1] (1603–1661) was an IrishFranciscanscholastic philosopher and theologian.
Punch was ultimately responsible for the now classic formulation ofOckham's Razor, in the shape of the Latin phraseentia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, "entities are not to be multiplied unnecessarily."[2] His formulation was slightly different:Non sunt multiplicanda entia sine necessitate.[3] Punch did not attribute this wording to William of Ockham, but instead referred to the principle as a "common axiom" (axioma vulgare) used by the Scholastics.[3]
His name was John Punch, but he is often known as "Ponce", which was a derivation of the Latin form of his surname: Poncius. At an early age, he went toBelgium and entered the novitiate of the Irish Franciscans inSt. Antony's College,Louvain. He studied philosophy atCologne, began the study of theology in Louvain, underHugh Ward and John Colgan, was called byLuke Wadding to Rome, and admitted 7 September 1625 into theCollege of St. Isidore, which had just been founded for the education of Irish Franciscan friars. After receiving his degrees he was appointed to teach philosophy and later, theology in St. Isidore's. He lectured afterwards atLyons and Paris, where he was held in great repute for his learning.[4]
Punch succeeded Martin Walsh in governing Ludovisi College at Rome (Pontifical Irish College) for the education of Irishsecular priests; and for some time he filled the position of superior of St. Isidore. He had a passionate love of his country and was an active agent in Rome of the IrishConfederate Catholics. When dissensions arose among the Confederates, and whenRichard Bellings, secretary to the Supreme Council, published hisVindiciæ (Paris, 1652), attacking the Irish Catholics who remained faithful to the nuncio, Father Punch promptly answered with his "Vindiciae Eversae" (Paris, 1652). He had already warned the Confederates not to trust the Royalists. In a letter (2 July 1644) to the agent of the Catholics,Hugo de Burgo, he says:
In 1643 he published in Rome hisCursus philosophiæ.[5] Some of his opinions were opposed byMastrius, and Punch replied inAppendix apologeticus (Rome, 1645), in which he says that although he accepts all the conclusions ofDuns Scotus, he does not feel called upon to adopt all Scotus's proofs. Mastrius acknowledged the force of Punch's reasoning and admitted that he had shed light on many philosophical problems. In 1652, Punch published "Integer cursus theologiæ" (Paris). These two works explain with great clearness and precision the teaching of theScotistic school. In 1661, he published at Paris his great work, "Commentarii theologici in quatuor libros sententiarum".[6] Hurter called it Punch's opus rarissimum.
Punch also assistedLuke Wadding in editing the works of Scotus.[6] Wadding says that he was endowed with a powerful and subtle intellect, a great facility of communicating knowledge, a graceful style, and that though immersed in the severer studies of philosophy and theology he was an ardent student of theClassics.
His other works are:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "John Ponce".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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