Redefining Scholastic Modernity

The Global Reform of Philosophy and Theology in the Long Second Scholasticism (1512–1773)

Bibliographic Data

ID19218255
AuthorsRafael Ramis-Barceló (Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-20
Publication date2026-05-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of European Ideas (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0191-6599 • E-ISSN: 1873-541X
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01916599.2026.2680165
OpenAlexW7162633198
LanguageEN
References cited25

This article reassesses the Second Scholasticism (1512–1773) as a long, pluricentric, and globally influential reform movement in Catholic academic philosophy and theology. Traditionally studied through its contributions to economics, law, and politics, the Second Scholasticism extended far beyond, encompassing Thomism, Scotism, Nominalism, Lullism, and neo-medieval currents. It reinterpreted logic, metaphysics, natural philosophy, and moral and dogmatic theology in dialogue with emerging modern challenges, including heliocentrism, mechanism, empiricism, and Cartesian rationalism. Internal plurality coexisted with Thomist hegemony, producing a koiné scholastic framework capable of integrating diverse perspectives. Its reach was global, with Jesuit, Dominican, and other orders exporting schools, manuals, and teaching methods across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The Second Scholasticism emerges as a dynamic and adaptive intellectual infrastructure, laying the foundations for the Third Scholasticism and the Neo-Scholastic revival, while demonstrating the capacity of Catholic thought to engage productively with early modernity

Catholic theology · Scholasticism · Social reform · Historical Legal Studies and Society · Historical Philosophy and Science · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity

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