• what was scholasticism

The Scholastic method is to thoroughly and critically read a book by a renowned scholar or author e. The Bible, texts of Plato or St. Augustine , etc , reference any other related documents and commentaries on it, and note down any disagreements and points of contention.

The two sides of an argument would be made whole found to be in agreement and not contradictory through philological analysis the examination of words for multiple meanings or ambiguities , and through logical analysis using the rules of formal logic to show that contradictions did not exist but were merely subjective to the reader. These would then be combined into "questionae" referencing any number of sources to divine the pros and cons of a particular general question , and then into "summae" complete summaries of all questions , such as St.

Thomas Aquinas ' famous "Summa Theologica" , which claimed to represent the sum total of Christian theology at the time. Scholastic schools had two methods of teaching : the "lectio" the simple reading of a text by a teacher, who would expound on certain words and ideas, but no questions were permitted ; and the "disputatio" where either the question to be disputed was announced beforehand , or students proposed a question to the teacher without prior preparation , and the teacher would respond , citing authoritative texts such as the Bible to prove his position, and the students would rebut the response, and the argument would go back and forth , with someone taking notes to summarize the argument.

Scholasticism was concurrent with movements in early Islamic philosophy , some of which presaged and influenced European Scholasticism. From the 8th Century, the Mutazilite School of Islam pursued a rational theology known as Kalam to defend their principles against the more orthodox Ash'ari School , and can be seen as an early form of Scholasticism. Later, the Islamic philosophical schools of Avicennism and Averroism exerted great influence on Scholasticism.

There were also similar developments in medieval Jewish philosophy especially the work of Maimonides. Anselm of Canterbury is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Father of Scholasticism" , although his approach was not really in keeping with the Scholastic method. Other early Scholastics include Hugh of St. The Franciscan and Dominican orders of the 13th Century saw some of the most intense scholastic theologizing of High Scholasticism , producing such theologians and philosophers as Albertus Magnus , St.

Thomas Aquinas , Alexander of Hales died and St. Bonaventure - This period also saw a flourishing of mystical theology , such as Mechthild of Magdeburg - and Angela of Foligno - , and early natural philosophy or "science" at the hands of such men as Roger Bacon and Robert Grosseteste c. Late Scholasticism 14th Century onwards became more complex and subtle in its distinctions and arguments, including the nominalist or voluntarist theologies of men like William of Ockham.

Thomism and Scotism are specific off-shoots of Scholasticism, following the philosophies of St. Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus respectively. In Scholasticism he founded a school of his own, and modified Molinism by his system of Congruism.

And the modern world has overthrown this spirit of scholasticism. Both of them were disgusted with Aristotle and with his formal logic, particularly with the subtleties of scholasticism.

He attacked scholasticism with much vigour, and censured the philosophy of Aristotle, the admired of the schoolmen. The philosophy and theology , marked by careful argumentation, that flourished among Christian thinkers in Europe during the Middle Ages. New Word List Word List. Save This Word!