scholasticism

American  

[skuh-las-tuh-siz-uhm] / skəˈlæs təˌsɪz əm /

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) the system of theological and philosophical teaching predominant in the Middle Ages, based chiefly upon the authority of the church fathers and of Aristotle and his commentators.

2. narrow adherence to traditional teachings, doctrines, or methods.

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scholasticism British  

/ skəˈlæstɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) the system of philosophy, theology, and teaching that dominated medieval western Europe and was based on the writings of the Church Fathers and (from the 12th century) Aristotle

2. strict adherence to traditional doctrines

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scholasticism Cultural  

1. The philosophy and theology, marked by careful argumentation, that flourished among Christian thinkers in Europe during the Middle Ages.

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Discover More

Central to scholastic thought is the idea that reason and faith are compatible. Scholastic thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas tried to show that ancient philosophy, especially that of Aristotle, supported and illuminated Christian faith.

Other Word Forms

• antischolasticism noun
• proscholasticism noun

Etymology

Origin of scholasticism

First recorded in 1750–60; scholastic + -ism

Example Sentences

The old philosophy is, by the end of the seventeenth century, scholasticism; modern science is the science of Descartes and Newton.

From Literature

For thousands of years, monks in medieval monasteries built a vast corpus of scholarship doing just that, using a method perfected by Thomas Aquinas known as scholasticism.

From The Guardian

Instead of solving these problems, Rorty thought we could ditch them, just as Descartes had ditched the problems of thirteenth-century scholasticism, and at a similarly low cost to the progress of human knowledge.

From The New Yorker

It was Georgian like the rest of the school, and it combined scholasticism with grace in the way which made Devon architecturally interesting.

From Literature

The jihadis are literalists, and they promise to sweep away centuries of scholasticism and put believers in touch with the actual teachings of their religion.

From The New Yorker