Origens do poder e da soberania no direito da modernidade: o pensamento de Guilherme de Ockham e as democracias atuais

Abstract

Guillaume de Ockham (1285-1347) was a thinker who is in the transition phase between the Low Middle Ages and Modernity, having been rejected by the first and practically ignored by the second in his considerations. He talked about epistemology and science, about the object of knowledge, about law and power, among other things. However, in spite of its great contribution, both to the medieval teachings and to the introduction of the problematic on the power in the modern era, to this day its contribution is underestimated. Luther relied on his ideals to write his “theses.” The role played by the philosopher in direct conflicts with the Catholic Church and with Pope John XXII are preponderant to understand the form(ation) of power, the idea of property law and the concept of state in modernity, including its punctual revelations about sovereignty. The purpose of this small sketch is to retrieve some notes on the philosophy of Ockham and its relation to modernity. Moreover, his considerations of absolute power refer us to a contemporary discussion of current democracy and the rise of more authoritarian conceptions at the heart of these systems. The research was based on the dialectical investigative method and bibliographic research.