Ockham seems to me a careful and skilful writer. He does not seem to have aimed at literary distinction, however; his one aim seems to have been to convince the Christian world of certain vital truths, especially that John XXII and Benedict XII had become heretics and ought to be removed from office. His political and literary tactics seem well adapted to his purpose. (On the political tactics see the note at the end of Book vi.) The Franciscans needed to win readers among people initially hostile or indifferent to their views. The form of the “recitative” works, those which merely compare positions and arguments without asserting any conclusions, made it easier for neutral or pro-papal copyists, librarians, and readers to copy, keep, and read the book, since disputation and the consideration of opposed viewpoints, including those opposed to the truth, was recognized as legitimate.

The first of the “recitative” writings, the OND, was a detailed commentary on a text, namely John XXII's Quia vir. The difficulty of this form is to introduce the points the writer wishes to make within a framework determined by the opponent's text; Ockham manages this, in my opinion, with great skill. It was also an achievement to write a telling piece of polemic without at any point asserting any opinion of his own about the matters at issue. The price of this achievement is frequent reference to the opinions of the parties to the controversy.