Why did William of Ockham reject the idea that universals exist independently of objects?

William of Ockham rejected the existence of universals independent of objects primarily by applying the principle of parsimony, famously known as Occam’s razor. This principle dictates that "plurality should not be posited without necessity," meaning that if a phenomenon can be explained without assuming the existence of extra entities, the simpler explanation is preferred.1

Ockham argued that reality consists entirely of particulars. He maintained that the use of general terms does not require the existence of universal entities—whether they are Platonic forms existing independently or Aristotelian universals existing within things. Instead, he proposed that things "share features in common" simply because objective relations of resemblance exist among them, without requiring any "universal" substance to be literally present within those objects.234

To explain how humans think and speak in general terms, Ockham appealed to mental concepts that function as "natural signs" for the many individual things to which they apply. By doing so, he eliminated the need for metaphysical universals, viewing them as unnecessary additions to our understanding of the world.312