Most Famous Scholasticism Philosophers

Scholasticism is the dominant philosophical and theological method of medieval European universities from roughly the eleventh through the fifteenth centuries. It is characterized by careful logical analysis, the use of dialectic to resolve apparent contradictions between authoritative sources, and the systematic integration of classical philosophy, especially Aristotle, with Christian theology. The Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas is the most ambitious and influential product of the scholastic method. Other major scholastic figures include Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham. Scholastic logic and metaphysics shaped Western intellectual life until the rise of early modern philosophy in the seventeenth century.

Philosophers in this tradition

Thomas Aquinas 1225 – 1274 · Italian
Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Italian Dominican friar and philosopher, the most influential figure of medieval scholasticism. His Summa Theologica, left unfinished at his de...
Anselm of Canterbury 1033 – 1109 · Italian
Anselm of Canterbury was an 11th and early 12th-century Italian-Norman Benedictine monk, philosopher, and theologian, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109. H...
Bonaventure 1221 – 1274 · Italian
Bonaventure was a 13th-century Italian Franciscan friar, theologian, philosopher, and Cardinal, regarded as one of the most important medieval Christian thinkers alongside his c...
Peter Abelard 1079 – 1142 · French
Peter Abelard was a French philosopher, logician, and theologian and one of the most original thinkers of the twelfth century. He made decisive contributions to the problem of u...
William of Ockham 1287 – 1347 · English
William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar, philosopher, and theologian, one of the most important figures of late medieval thought. He defended a thoroughgoing nominalis...
Duns Scotus c. 1266 – 1308 · Scottish
John Duns Scotus was a 13th and early 14th-century Scottish Franciscan friar, philosopher, and theologian, regarded as one of the most important medieval scholastic philosophers...
Albert the Great c. 1200 – 1280 · German
Albertus Magnus, known in English as Albert the Great, was a 13th-century German Dominican friar, theologian, philosopher, and natural scientist, regarded as one of the greatest...