born 1266, Duns, Lothian, Scot.
died Nov. 8, 1308, Cologne
Medieval Scottish philosopher and Scholastic theologian.
He studied and taught at Oxford, where he joined the Franciscan s, and later taught at the University of Paris, from which he was briefly exiled for supporting Pope Boniface VIII in his quarrel with King Philip IV . In 1307 he became professor of theology at Cologne, perhaps to escape charges of heresy over his defense of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception , which the Dominican s and secular authorities opposed. His two major works are Ordinatio and Quaestiones quodlibetales , both left unfinished at his death.