Seventeenth Century Scholasticism

Article 4. Seventeenth Century Scholasticism The 16 century saw Scholasticism opposed by many philosophers whose numbers were steadily increasing; but these had no general and coherent anti-Scholastic system. Their requirements in this matter were supplied by Descartes in the 17 century. Many flocked to his standard. During the 15 and 16 centuries there were some Scholastics who were such merely because they found anti-Scholastic philosophies opposed to their Catholic Faith; these were “Scholastics by reason of Faith.” Descartes’ anti-Scholasticism consistently endeavored to keep in line with the Faith, and Descartes himself remained always a true Catholic. Hence, the “Scholastics by reason of Faith” went over to Cartesianism almost in a body. During the 17 century the number of true and able Scholastics decreased more and more, and even the faithful few show, for the most part, the influence of the new doctrines. The more important of the 17 century Scholastics were: (1) Thomists: i. Jean Baptiste Gonet (died 1681), a Dominican, author of The Shield of Thomistic Theology, a book still in use; ii. Antoine Goudin (1639-1695), a Dominican; iii. Blaise of the Holy Conception, a Carmelite; iv. Marsilio Vasquez (died 1611), a Cistercian; v. Joseph Saenz de Aguirre (died 1699), a Benedictine, sometime professor at Salamanca, and author of a Philosophy according to the Mind of Aristotle and St. Thomas; vi. The Benedictine School of Salzburg in Germany, whose members exerted a great influence for Thomistic theology and philosophy during almost two centuries. Important members of this School were: Paul Mezger (1637-1702); Placidus Renz (died 1748) ; and Augustine Reding (died 1692). Reding was not Thomistic in his doctrine on the nature of physical premotion. The foregoing members of the Salzburg School were theologians rather than philosophers, but they were important in the age of disappearing Scholasticism because they employed this Philosophy as their scientific basis in the exposition of theological doctrine. The School had its philosophers too, chief of whom was Ludwig Babenstuber (1660-1726), who wrote a whole course of Scholastic philosophy, still in use. (2) Scotist: Claude Frassen (1620-1711), a Franciscan, whose exposition and commentary on Scotism is still in use, and is most helpful for the understanding of this difficult system. Other Scholastics of the time were more or less prominent teachers in the Italian and Spanish universities.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY The Empiricism and Intellectualism of the 17 century were developed, during the age which followed, into a variety of systems. The general character, however, of all these permits them to be grouped under the two heads Empiricism and Intellectualism. This Chapter is accordingly divided into two articles : Article I. Eighteenth Century Empiricism. Article 2. Eighteenth Century Intellectualism. Article i. Eighteenth Century Empiricism

a) Sensism; b) English Moralism; c) French Materialism,

a) Sensism. Locke’s work On the Human Understanding had great vogue among his countrymen, and certain Anglican churchmen declared that it was a source of truth and wisdom second only to Holy Scripture. The elegant style of this work was as great a factor in its acceptance as were its philosophical doctrines. Locke had but lightly touched upon matters of morality and religion in their bearing upon leading philosophical questions, but his followers remedied this deficiency. The great sensist left no well-instructed pupil to carry on his work and develop his philosophy in a manner consistent with its principles. For this reason it is no matter of surprise that some of his ardent followers deduced from Lockian principles absurdities which would doubtless have merited the hearty condemnation of the master. However, it is but just to say that the germs 310