born 1266, Duns, Lothian, Scot.
died Nov. 8, 1308, Cologne
Medieval Scottish philosopher and
He studied and taught at Oxford, where he joined the {{link=Franciscan">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.