We explain what scholasticism is, how it originated and what its principles are. In addition, we explain its general characteristics and its representatives.
Scholasticism was based on the coexistence of faith and reason.
What is scholasticism?
Scholasticism or scholastic philosophy is known as doctrine of medieval theological and philosophical thought who relied on Greco-Latin philosophy to theoretically interpret Christianity, especially the mystery of revelation. Some of his main representatives were Anselm of Canterbury, William of Ockham and Thomas Aquinas. After patristics (as the study of Christianity was called in its first centuries) of late antiquity, scholasticism prevailed not only as a philosophical current but also as a teaching current in universities, cathedral schools and other forms of study.
Scholasticism sought the theoretical and practical union of faith with reasonalthough there was always a subordination of reason to faith. His teaching model consisted of the interpretation of sacred texts in the light of different philosophical theories, especially classical philosophy (such as Aristotle and Neoplatonism).
Scholasticism played an important role in the construction of Western academic discourseinsofar as it established the need for a rigid framework for discourse and logic that could withstand refutations and criticisms made by third parties. It is also important to highlight its dialogue with other traditions such as the Islamic and Hebrew traditions, since both were nourished by the same ancient sources as scholasticism.
See also: Humanism
Origin of the term scholasticism
The word “scholastic” comes from Greek scholastikos (σχολαστικός), which refers to free timeof leisure, apart from daily activities, which was dedicated to learning. According to Plato and Aristotle, this was a requirement for dedicating oneself to philosophical activity, which demanded time for contemplation and reflection.
That term It was established during the Middle Ages to refer to the reflection model of those who could dedicate free time to study and research inherent to the academic model of the moment.
It is related to the etymology of the words “school” (school) and “school”.
History of scholasticism
Greco-Latin philosophy inherited the works of Plato.
Philosophical influences
The scholasticism He based his main studies on the Greco-Latin philosophical traditionfrom which he inherited the works of Plato, through Neoplatonism (a Latin school that followed Platonic teachings), and of Aristotle, whose works were preserved by Neoplatonists and some thinkers from the Islamic world.
Also was influenced by the works of patristicsThe works of these early Christian thinkers were compiled by Severinus Boethius (477-524) and John Scotus (810-877). Both are considered the fathers of scholasticism.
Preschool
The beginning of scholasticism was marked by the compilation of texts by Severinus Boethius and John Scotus.
Boethius was a Roman senator from the early 6th century.. Among his numerous texts are several manuals and Latin translations of different works by Aristotle and Plato. This was of great importance for the formation of scholasticism since it allowed the study of classical sources in a language that was more accessible to academics who did not know ancient Greek.
For its part, Juan Escoto Eriúgena was an Irish philosopher who worked in line with Neoplatonism and negative theology (or “apophatic” theology, which cannot speak of God in positive terms). His name translates as “John the Irishman of Ireland.”
initial scholasticism
Initial or early scholasticism It developed between the 9th and 12th centuriesThis period was the scene of the Carolingian Renaissance and the flourishing of the thought of Augustine of Hippo.
Some of its most important theologians and philosophers were Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), considered the first official scholasticPedro Abelardo (1079-1142), creator of the method of the quaestio (scholastic question), and Bernard and Thierry of Chartres (1070-1130 and .-1155), innovators of the School of Chartres.
high scholasticism
High scholasticism It was characterized by the return to the West of Aristotelian texts. These had migrated to the East, where they were studied and translated by thinkers such as Averroes (1126-1198) and Avicenna (980-1037). Reflection of this time are the Augustinian thought, on the part of the Franciscan order, and the Thomist, on the part of the Dominicans.
While the Dominicans, led by Thomas Aquinas, worked with Aristotelian thought, the Franciscans were influenced by the Neoplatonic current incorporated by Augustine of Hippo.
Principles of scholasticism
The fundamental principles of scholastic philosophy were the ordering and conciliation of the great transcendental questions inherited from Greco-Roman antiquity, in force during the times of the Roman Empire, in search of reconciliation with the precepts of the Orthodox Christian Church.
This, in principle, meant take the Aristotelian methods and apply them to the new religious imaginary that Christianity imposed on the West.
The scholasticism He cultivated, for example, the Aristotelian syllogismamong other ideas from inherited texts. On the other hand, empiricism and the direct exploration of reality were not favoured aspects of his philosophy.
Stages of scholasticism
The evolution of scholasticism It is made up of three stagesrecognizable from the way of understanding the dialectic between reason and faith, between the 11th and 15th centuries, in the centralist period of papal power, the time of the crusades and the resurgence of cities.
The debate around reason and faith moves from its stages of initial identification (when they were one thing) to a second phase in which faith and reason have a common area. This was the prelude to the separation that would come later between reason and faith (philosophy and theology). This process is made up of three stages organized around different problems.
- The question of universalsBetween the 9th and 12th centuries, the question about universals (theoretical figures similar to Platonic ideas) gave rise to a debate in which those who adopted a realist position opposed those who were considered nominalists and conceptualists.
- The heyday of scholasticismDuring the 13th century, scholasticism reached its climax, with the recovery of Aristotle through Jewish and Arabic texts, but also through translations from Greek to Latin.
- Separation between reason and faithIn the 15th century, there was a separation between reason and faith, when the intelligibility of the world and of God began to be questioned.
The scholastic method
It was called the “scholastic method” teaching model that governed the Middle Ages and that characterized this philosophical doctrine. It is distinguished by its extraordinary rigor in the approach and defense of the ideas presented, through a three-step procedure:
- Lectio (reading). It was based on the creation of more or less literal comments (they were called bunk for a literal copy, sense to extract the meaning and Sentence to formulate a conclusion) from authoritative texts, such as theological treatises or biblical fragments. Teaching was teaching to read.
- Quaestio (question). The questioning of the texts was not strictly critical, but rather was concerned with comparing the existing versions of them and resolving possible doubts, contradictions or interpretative differences regarding their meaning.
- Disputatio (discussion). It is a dialectical method of exposing the ideas contained in the reading of the texts, which had to be presented in front of other academics and orally defended from possible counterarguments.
The second scholasticism
Francisco Suárez was one of the greatest exponents of the second scholasticism.
In Spain, Around the 15th and 16th centuries, scholasticism had a resurgencewith the renewed spirit of the times, although associated in particular with the Jesuit and Dominican orders, both belonging to the Catholic Church.
One of the greatest exponents of this second scholasticism was Francisco Suárez (1548-1617), who continued and renewed the previous scholastic tradition by establishing the bases for “natural law” (defense of natural law), of the Dutch jurist Hugo Grocio (1583- 1645).
Neo-Scholasticism
During the 19th century arose a new doctrine inspired by scholasticism and Thomism: neo-scholasticism or neo-Thomism (under this name it appears in the 20th century).
Two of Its great spokespersons were Jacques Maritain and Étienne Gilson. This new Thomism, above all, turned out to be very well received by the academic community and spread throughout the world, especially after the founding of the Thomist School of Barcelona, in Spain.
Representatives of scholasticism
William of Ockham was famous for his principle of “Ockham’s Razor.”
The main exponents of scholasticism in its various periods are:
- Preschool (VI to IX). Severinus Boethius (477-524) and John Scotus Eriugena (810-877).
- initial scholasticism (IX to XII). Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), Peter Abelard (1079-1142) and the members of the Chartres School of the 12th century.
- High scholasticism (13th century). Albert the Great (1206-1280), Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) and Bonaventure of Fidanza (1221-1274).
- Period of decline (XIV). John Duns Scotus (1266-1308), and William of Ockham (1290-1349).
Importance of scholasticism
Scholasticism is a key doctrine in the formation of the modern academy and contemporary philosophical thought, especially based on its rigorous methods in reading, exposing and contrasting texts.
The possibility of separate philosophy (reason) and theology (faith) It is a prelude to Renaissance and modern thought, which led to the separation of the administration of the State and the ecclesiastical hierarchy, that is, to splitting the State and the Church as two distinct organisms.
Continue with: René Descartes
References
- From Libera, A. (2007). Medieval Philosophy (Vol. 93). University of Valencia.
- Le Goff, J. (2017). Intellectuals in the Middle Ages. Gedisa Publishing House.
- Kretzmann, N., Kenny, A., Pinborg, J., & Stump, E. (Eds.). (1982). The Cambridge history of later medieval philosophy: from the rediscovery of Aristotle to the disintegration of scholasticism, 1100-1600. Cambridge University Press.
- Guerrero, R.R. (1996). Medieval filosophy’s history (Vol. 2). AKAL Editions.
- Grace, JJ, & Noone, TB (Eds.). (2008). A companion to philosophy in the Middle Ages. John Wiley & Sons.