Scotism
Scotism
is a Medieval school of philosophy named after 13th Century philosopher
and Franciscan theologian John Duns Scotus. His followers were often referred
to as "Dunses", from which the word "dunce" is
derived, originally meaning one who opposed classical studies.
Sometimes
referred to as the Later Franciscan School, Scotism (like Thomism, the
other main Scholastic movement of the Middle Ages), made free use of Aristotelianism
in Christian theologizing. Unlike Thomism, however, Scotism adhered more to the
teachings of the Older Franciscan School in points such as the plurality
of forms or souls, the spiritual matter of angels, the source of venial
sin, the doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary (which had
been specifically rejected by St. Thomas Aquinas), etc.
The
importance of Scotism does not consist solely in its negativity
and opposition to Aquinas and the Thomistic school, but it does mark a compromise
position between the traditional views, based on the Neo-Platonist
approach of St. Augustine, and the more radical departures of St. Thomas
Aquinas.
Franciscans
and Jesuits generally adopted the Scotist propositions, in opposition to
Thomism, as did many Augustinians and Serviters. However, it is
only at the beginning of the 16th Century, when Scotus' works were
finally collected and edited, that a specifically Scotist School can be spoken
of. Its greatest popularity occurred in the 17th Century, and it had declined
substantially in influence by the 19th Century.
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