The Causes Which Induced the Decline of Scholasticism
The factors leading to the decline of Scholasticism after 1300: excessive formalism, the rise of nominalism, the Black Death, and the fracturing of the unity of faith and reason.
The decline of Scholasticism after 1300 was produced by several converging forces. Internal: the degeneration of scholastic method into sterile formalism, excessive multiplication of distinctions, and endless micro-disputes about peripheral questions that had lost their connection with the great synthetic vision of the 13th century. External: the Black Death (1347–51) catastrophically reduced the learned population and shattered confidence in the established intellectual and social order; the Great Schism (1378–1417) and subsequent conciliarism weakened the institutional and spiritual unity that had supported the scholastic enterprise; the Hundred Years' War disrupted the peaceful conditions that scholarship requires. Philosophical: the rise of Ockhamism (nominalism) dissolved the metaphysical foundations on which the synthesis rested — without real universals, without the analogy of being, without the real distinction of essence and existence, the whole architecture collapses.
Article i. The Causes Which Induced the Decline of Scholasticism With St. Thomas Scholasticism reached completeness and perfection. There was no longer any opportunity for intrinsic development in this great System ; for indefinite development is not possible in philosophy as it is in the arts. Philosophy— true philosophy—is a body of true principles; and is therefore stable, unchanging ; and once perfected, it must remain so forever. The only development which can accrue to it is extrinsic, and consists in the extension and application of its principles in the interpretation of the findings of the physical sciences which go on developing indefinitely through every age. And just as true philosophy, once completed, cannot have further intrinsic development, so also it cannot suffer intrinsic retrogression or decline. It may decline e.vtrinsically; it may cease to 252 be valued at its true worth; it may be lost sight of among men. It is important to keep clearly in mind that the decline of Scholasticism was of this extrinsic or external character. Although the opinion of philosophers subsequent to those of the 13 century, and the opinion of non-Scholastic philosophers of the present day, is pretty generally at one in consigning Scholasticism to the philosophical scrap-heap as a thing outworn and forever useless, we who have compelling reason to regard it as the one true philosophy, are certain that it is neither outworn nor useless, although it has been so generally cast away. It is truth; and “Truth crushed to earth shall rise again” ; Scholasticism will one day come into its own. But even if that day be far removed—and we have great and reasonable hope that the day is not far removed—it can make no change in our appreciation of that which is true and perfect in itself. Scholasticism has long been recognized as the true philosophy in Catholic colleges and universities, and among Catholic scientists and learned men generally. Unfortunately enough, such recognition has, in this day of prejudice and unbelief, only served to prevent or retard the recognition of Scholasticism as the true philosophy by the learned world at large. It is regarded as “Catholic Philosophy,” suited only to the needs of those who “force reason to accord with the dogmas of Catholic Faith.” This unfair judgment upon Scholasticism is being sturdily combated by the Neo-Scholastics of our day. The Scholastics themselves were largely to blame for the decline and eclipse of Scholasticism. At the beginning of the 14 century they were divided into two camps, the Thomistic and the Scotistic. This division indirectly favored the protagonists of new doctrines. Again—largely because of the Thomist-Scotist division—quibbling in clever displays of dialectic skill came to be the favorite employment of Scholastics; and this meant time lost for the Schoolmen and time gained for their opponents. Besides, the world of thought and intellectual endeavor had had its fill of dialectic; the Scholastics not 254 only lost time by their hair-splitting cleverness in debate ; they lost sympathy and respect as well. Two other causes, one remote and one proximate, concurred in the decline of Scholasticism in the 14 century. The remote cause was the diminution of the strong spirit of Faith among the Catholic peoples of Europe, and the relaxation of religious discipline among the regular clergy. The proximate cause or causes may be stated thus : ( 1 ) The inauguration of new universities in which a careless order of studies was observed, courses shortened, and degrees easily obtained. Even the great University of Paris failed to live up to its fine traditions in these matters. (2) The continued increase in the number of raw, ill-instructed pupils, who easily became estranged from Scholasticism which their slipshod preparatory studies had not prepared them to understand. (3) The lack of great constructive minds among the defenders of Scholasticism. (4) The relentless zeal of the anti-Scholastics in warring upon the decreasing number of true Scholastic philosophers.