APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. the system of logic, philosophy, and theology taught by university scholars in medieval Europe. It was based on Aristotelian logic, the writings of the early Christian fathers, and the authority of tradition and dogma. Major preoccupations included the attempt to reconcile faith with reason and the dispute between nominalism and realism. Prominent Scholastics included Thomas Aquinas, French philosopher Jean Burridan (c. 1295–1358), Scottish theologian John Duns Scotus (c. 1226–1308), and English Franciscan monk and philosopher William of Occam (c. 1285–1347). —Scholastic n., adj.