medieval philosophy
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Medieval philosophy refers to the thinking and ideas developed by philosophers during the Middle Ages, a period that spanned roughly from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. It matters because it shaped how Western thinkers approached fundamental questions about God, knowledge, and human nature, and it bridges the gap between ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and the modern world.
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Philosophy seated between the seven liberal arts; 1818 copy of picture from the Hortus deliciarum of Herrad von Landsberg (12th century).
Medieval philosophy is the philosophy that existed through the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century until after the Renaissance in the 13th and 14th centuries. Medieval philosophy, understood as a project of independent philosophical inquiry, began in Baghdad, in the middle of the 8th century, and in France and Germany, in the itinerant court of Charlemagne in Aachen, in the last quarter of the 8th century. It is defined partly by the process of rediscovering the ancient culture developed in Greece and Rome during the Classical period, and partly by the need to address theological problems and to integrate sacred doctrine with secular learning. This is one of the defining characteristics in this time period. Understanding God was the focal point of study of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim Philosophers and Theologians.