Reading Comics Increases Wisdom - Comic Stories of Western Philosophical Masters (1)

Author: Yan Yuqiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Scholastic Philosophy
Scholastic philosophy is named after the schools of theology that were established in cathedrals or monasteries during the reign of Charlemagne in the late 8th century. The 11th and 12th centuries were its formative period, during which it primarily expounded the Bible and doctrines based on Neoplatonism. The 13th and 14th centuries were its flourishing period, when Aristotelianism dominated and produced the great theologian Thomas Aquinas. After the 14th century, scholastic philosophy declined, giving rise to rationalist currents that emphasized experimental science, represented by Roger Bacon and William of Ockham, which ultimately ended the dominance of scholastic philosophy.
In the 8th century, Charlemagne established schools, known as the Carolingian Renaissance, in which Christian scholastic philosophy was nurtured. Early scholastic philosophy began with Erigena. In the 11th century, Anselm proposed the ontological proof of the existence of God, affirming the role of reason in theology and establishing the fundamental stance of scholastic philosophy. In the debate between nominalism and realism (or idealism), there emerged extreme realism represented by Anselm and extreme nominalism represented by Roscelin. Roscelin's student Abelard inherited his teacher's nominalist tradition while correcting its extremism, developing a moderate nominalism known as conceptualism. The debate between nominalism and realism expanded to question whether the universal Roman Catholic Church was true or whether specific local churches were more authentic. Nominalists advocated for the truth of local churches, while realists argued that the Roman Catholic Church, representing divine will, was more authentic. This debate further led to the question of whether royal power or ecclesiastical power was higher. The intense struggle between royal and ecclesiastical power was a spectacular episode in the development of medieval philosophy.
From the 12th to the 13th centuries, conflicts between the Roman Curia and emperors escalated, with the Curia ultimately achieving a decisive victory. The unity of the Church facilitated theological development, giving rise to the Franciscan Order and the Dominican Order. Many famous medieval scholastic philosophers came from these two orders. The Franciscan theologians adhered to the Augustinian tradition, forming the Franciscan school. Starting in the 12th century, many universities emerged in Europe, providing external conditions and venues for the research and debate that fueled the flourishing of scholastic philosophy. With the introduction and spread of Aristotle's works such as the Categories and the Topics, the Augustinian scholastic tradition based on Platonic philosophy was challenged, once causing the Church to panic. Initially, it was strictly forbidden (1209 synod), but after decades of development, the Pope ordered that Aristotle's works must be read. The Dominican Order strongly advocated for the study and use of Aristotle to reform theological systems, replacing Plato with Aristotle, which led to the rise of the most famous theologian, Thomas Aquinas, ultimately establishing Thomism as the orthodox school.
Latin Averroism, a branch of Arabic philosophy in Western Europe, also joined the debate as an opponent of orthodox theology. The intense struggles among these three currents pushed scholastic philosophy to its peak. In the 13th century, the Church's power in Europe was particularly strong, with ecclesiastical authority completely dominating royal power. At this time, the Church's authority faced threats from two forces: the struggle of peasants and the middle against the Church, and the spread of Arabic culture, especially Averroism, which led to a major debate within scholastic philosophy. Although Thomism dominated, it was no longer possible to restore the level of dominance once held by Augustinianism. During Thomas's time, Roger Bacon foresaw a new dawn—the decline of scholastic philosophy and the rise of rationalism—with his outstanding ideas in experimental science and philosophy. The later Scotism and Williamism, on one hand, restored the purity of religion by excluding reason from it, yet objectively led to the independence of reason. On the other hand, they promoted nominalist thought, becoming pioneers of modern materialist philosophy.
In Germany, Eckhart's mystical thought, in the form of pantheism, delivered a heavy blow to orthodox scholastic philosophy. Adding to this, the humanist movement of the 14th-century Renaissance ultimately led to the disintegration of scholastic philosophy and the birth of rationalist philosophy.