Scholastici

Scholastici, or scholastics, refers to medieval Christian philosophers and theologians who practiced scholasticism, a method of learning that sought to reconcile faith and reason. The movement began in the early Middle Ages and flourished from the 12th through the 14th centuries within European universities, notably Paris, Bologna, and Oxford. Scholastics used dialectical reasoning, disputation, and the quaestio format to analyze theological questions, often drawing on Aristotle and other ancient sources translated into Latin or Arabic. Their aim was to articulate systematic Christian doctrine, clarify concepts, and resolve apparent contradictions between faith and philosophy.

Key figures include Anselm of Canterbury, Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, and Bonaventure. Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae became a foundational text, synthesizing Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology and guiding much of Catholic thought. The movement gave rise to distinct tendencies such as Thomism, Scotism, and Occamism, and fostered a high degree of methodical rigor in philosophy and theology.

Scholastic method emphasized precise definitions, logical structure, and consensus-building through disputation. It contributed to logic, metaphysics, ethics, and natural theology, influencing medieval education and the broader intellectual culture of Christendom. Although the traditional scholastic program declined with the Renaissance and the rise of modern science, its methods—systematic argumentation, rigorous analysis of concepts, and comprehensive commentaries—left a lasting impact on subsequent philosophy and theology.