William of Sherwood facts for kids
William of Sherwood (born around 1200, died around 1272) was an important English thinker, logician, and teacher during the Middle Ages. Not much is known about his life. He probably studied in Paris, France. He was a master teacher at Oxford University in 1252. Later, he became the treasurer of Lincoln Cathedral and a rector (a type of church leader) in Aylesbury.
William wrote two books that greatly influenced how people thought about logic. These were Introductiones in Logicam (Introduction to Logic) and Syncategoremata. These books were among the first to explain a new way of understanding logic called supposition theory. This was a big step forward in logic at the time.
William's Life Story
William was likely born in Nottinghamshire, England, between 1200 and 1210. Like many educated English people back then, he might have studied at Oxford University or the University of Paris, or both. Some examples in his logic books suggest he taught in Paris. For instance, he used examples like "No man lectures at Paris unless he is a smart person."
Other logicians who were influenced by his work also taught in Paris. These included Peter of Spain and Lambert of Auxerre. This also suggests William taught there.
William is believed to have become the treasurer of Lincoln Cathedral in the 1250s. The treasurer was a key person in English cathedrals. Their job was to look after the church's valuable items. This included gold and silver objects, ornaments, and jewels. He would have had a home near the cathedral and a large staff. He likely died there around 1272 or earlier.
Roger Bacon, another famous scholar, mentioned William. Bacon said William was among "the more famous wise men of Christendom." He even said William was "much wiser than Albert," referring to Albertus Magnus, another great thinker.
His Book: Introduction to Logic
William's most important work is a small book about logic. It is called Introductiones in logicam. Only one copy of this book from the 1200s still exists today. The book was not fully printed until 1937. It was first translated into English in 1966.
The book has six chapters. Five of these chapters explain the main logic ideas from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.
| Chapter | What it's about | Aristotle's work it relates to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Statements | De Interpretatione |
| 2 | What things can be said about others | Categories |
| 3 | How arguments are built (Syllogism) | Prior Analytics |
| 4 | How to reason in discussions | Topics |
| 5 | How words get their meaning | — |
| 6 | Tricky or misleading arguments | Sophistical Refutations |
Chapter 5, "How words get their meaning," has new ideas not found in Aristotle's works. This part is called Supposition theory. It helps explain how simple sentences become true. It looks at how words "stand for" or represent things in the real world. It also tries to solve problems with sentences that don't fit simple logic rules.
In this chapter, William introduced three types of "supposition": material, formal, and personal.
- In material supposition, a word stands for itself. For example, if you say "Socrates is a name," the word "Socrates" is being used as a word, not to refer to the person.
- In formal supposition, a word stands for its general meaning. For example, "man" stands for the idea of a human being.
- Personal supposition is when a word refers to actual things or people. For example, "the term 'man' refers to Socrates, Aristotle, and others."
William's work helped logic grow a lot in the 1200s. People who studied this part of logic were called the Moderni (Moderns) or Terministae (Terminists). Later, William of Ockham and others continued to develop these ideas.
William's Legacy
Today, William is perhaps best known for a special poem. This poem helps students remember the names of valid syllogistic forms. Syllogisms are types of logical arguments.
BARBARA, CELARENT, DARII, FERIOque prioris;
CESARE, CAMESTRES, FESTINO, BAROCO secundae;
tertia DARAPTI, DISAMIS, DATISI, FELAPTON, BOCARDO, FERISON habet;
quarta insuper addit: BRAMANTIP, CAMENES, DIMARIS, FESAPO, FRESISON;
This poem might not have started with William, but his version is the oldest one we know of. Peter of Spain later gave a more detailed account of these verses. This suggests that both versions came from an even older, now lost, original poem.
His Main Works
- Introductiones in logicam (Introduction to Logic)
- Syncategoremata (Treatise on Categorization Words)
- Insolubilia (Insolubles)
