What is scholastic thought and its characteristics?

Although the era of scholastic thought, which ruled for centuries, is over, we can still come across examples of it today. Many people faced the question of what school thought is in their school days. It is possible to encounter scholastic thought from the eighth to the sixteenth century. So what is scholastic thought, what are the characteristics of scholastic thought, and when did scholastic thought end?

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What is scholastic thought and its features?

Scholastic philosophy comes from the term scholasticus, derived from the Latin word schola (school), which literally means school philosophy. The meaning of the word is very important because scholastic thinking is the belief that truth already existed in the Middle Ages and that philosophy was only taught in schools. Scholastic thought is a philosophical movement based on theology. In other words, it is believed that truth comes from heaven and that these truths should be understood with philosophy. Scholastic philosophy is devoid of new thought and is not skeptical or questioning. He is also against anyone who questions divine knowledge.

In scholastic thought, there is an effort to explain life by keeping religious acceptance at the fore. It has been said that reason will not be sufficient to explain what is happening in the world. Thus, the idea that the world can be better explained by living honestly is emphasized. In scholastic philosophy, priority was given to the social structure rather than the individual. Religious elements were crucial in almost every field. These areas are sovereignty, law, economics and administration.

In the scholastic system of thought, which did not allow new ideas and sciences, what the clergy said was mostly accepted. In the era of this philosophy, there was pressure on art, artists, and prominent society figures. Scholastic thought was completely closed to rational science and free thought in the Middle Ages, when religion was the only dominant force. Society lived under the pressure of the clergy. The clergy did not want people to be read and enlightened because they knew that enlightenment would reduce their faith in the Church. In short, in the era of scholastic thought, all power was in the clergy.

Now that we have learned what scholastic thought is and what are its characteristics, let’s look at when this philosophical trend appeared.

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When did scholastic thinking originate?

The foundations of scholastic thought were laid by the patristic philosophy created by the early Christians between the second and eighth centuries. However, in the ninth century, the Christian faith was based on philosophical and methodological foundations, and this philosophical movement was called scholastic thought.

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When did scholastic thinking end?

In the Middle Ages, when scholasticism prevailed in Europe, there was social injustice and people were starving. On the other hand, the clerics were deceiving the people by saying things that had nothing to do with religion, associating everything with religion in some way. The Renaissance and Reform movements in France opened people’s eyes. After the invention of the printing press, religious books began to be translated into every language and religious books became understood by the public. So the people began to wonder what the clergy were forbidden to ask, and they realized that the clergy were deceiving them. People who have now become conscious have completely eliminated scholastic thinking using their brains.