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Why did William of Ockham reject the idea that morality is based on human nature?

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Painting by Rembrandt showing Aristotle in rich dark clothing with a gold chain, resting his hand thoughtfully on a marble bust of Homer, illuminated against a dark background. — natural law *Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer*, oil on canvas by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1653; in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

William of Ockham rejected the idea that morality is based on human nature primarily because he denied the existence of universal natures or essences in creatures. While his predecessor St. Thomas Aquinas argued that morality derives from human nature and the goals objectively suited to it, Ockham maintained that only individual things exist, and they share no common essence.1234

Furthermore, Ockham sought to defend the absolute freedom and omnipotence of God. He argued that God creates the universe as He wishes, without being constrained by preconceived ideas or models. Consequently, Ockham rejected the Aristotelian notion that all things have a natural, ultimate end.1234

Because the moral order is a product of God’s free will rather than an inherent feature of human nature, Ockham held that morality is defined solely by divine approbation: what God wills is good, and what He condemns is evil. This divine approbation theory effectively removed ethics from the sphere of human reason, placing the content of morality instead within the realm of revelation and faith.34