John Duns Scotus was a medieval Scottish philosopher and theologian, born around 1266. He is best known for his contributions to scholasticism, particularly in the areas of metaphysics and ethics. His work emphasized the importance of individual existence and the concept of univocity of being, which argues that God's existence can be understood in the same way as created beings. Scotus was a significant figure in the Franciscan tradition and is often associated with the development of nominalism, a philosophical view that denies the existence of universal entities outside of individual things. His ideas influenced later thinkers, including Thomas Aquinas and the Renaissance philosophers.