skolastika

Skolastika, or scholasticism, is a medieval philosophical and theological tradition that developed within Christian churches and medieval universities. It sought to reconcile faith and reason through a disciplined method of inquiry, using logic and disputation to illuminate religious doctrine and moral life. The movement flourished primarily in Western Europe from roughly the 9th to the 17th century.

Rooted in the patristic tradition and the rediscovery of Aristotle, skolastika employed dialectical method: questions, objections, and resolutions, organized around authoritative authorities and scriptural texts. Scholars used Aristotelian logic, phonetic and semantic analysis, and careful argumentation to systematize theology, metaphysics, ethics, and natural philosophy.

Prominent figures include Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard, Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham. Major centers were Paris, Bologna, and Oxford. Distinct currents emerged, such as Thomism, Scotism, and Ockhamism, along with a broader late scholastic tradition in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Scholastic works include Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae and Summa Contra Gentiles, Albertus Magnus's commentaries, and the numerous commentaries on Aristotle. The method shaped university curricula, influenced Catholic doctrine, and contributed to developments in logic, epistemology, and natural theology, long after the medieval period.

With the rise of modern science and reformulation of philosophy from Descartes onward, scholasticism gradually declined as a dominant framework. It remains a historical reference in theology and philosophy, studied for its methods and achievements in organizing knowledge and its role in medieval intellectual life.