Duns Scotus
~1266–1308 · Scottish · Late Middle Ages
Known for: The 'Subtle Doctor' — made arguments so precise that his opponents coined 'dunce' as an insult against his followers
John Duns Scotus was a Franciscan philosopher whose arguments for God's existence and the Immaculate Conception were so intricate they earned him the title 'Doctor Subtilis.' His enemies later turned 'Dunsman' into 'dunce.'
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