Editing Scholasticism (section)

=== Thomistic scholasticism ===

As J. A. Weisheipl [[Order of Preachers|O.P.]] emphasizes, within the [[Dominican Order]] Thomistic scholasticism has been continuous since the time of Aquinas: "Thomism was always alive in the Dominican Order, small as it was after the ravages of the Reformation, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic occupation. Repeated legislation of the General Chapters, beginning after the death of St. Thomas, as well as the Constitutions of the Order, required all Dominicans to teach the doctrine of St. Thomas both in philosophy and in theology."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://domcentral.org/blog/the-revival-of-thomism-an-historical-survey-weisheipl/ |title=The Revival of Thomism: An Historical Survey |first=James |last=Weisheipl |year=1962 |access-date=2013-08-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927202339/http://domcentral.org/blog/the-revival-of-thomism-an-historical-survey-weisheipl/ |archive-date=2013-09-27 }}</ref>

Thomistic scholasticism or scholastic [[Thomism]] identifies with the philosophical and theological tradition stretching back to the time of St. Thomas. It focuses not only on exegesis of the historical Aquinas but also on the articulation of a rigorous system of orthodox Thomism to be used as an instrument of critique of contemporary thought. Due to its suspicion of attempts to harmonize Aquinas with non-Thomistic categories and assumptions, Scholastic Thomism has sometimes been called, according to philosophers like [[Edward Feser]], "Strict Observance Thomism".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2009/10/thomistic-tradition-part-i.html |title=Edward Feser: The Thomistic tradition, Part I |website=edwardfeser.blogspot.com |date= 15 October 2009|access-date=5 September 2013}}</ref> A discussion of recent and current Thomistic scholasticism can be found in ''La Metafisica di san Tommaso d'Aquino e i suoi interpreti'' (2002) by {{ill|Battista Mondin|it}}, which includes such figures as Sofia Vanni Rovighi (1908–1990),<ref>[http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/sofia-vanni-rovighi_(Dizionario-di-filosofia) Vanni Rovighi, Sofia]. [[Treccani]] Encyclopedia./ Accessed 17 August 2013</ref> [[Cornelio Fabro]] (1911–1995), Carlo Giacon (1900–1984),<ref>[http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/carlo-giacon_(Dizionario-Biografico) GIACON, Carlo]. Treccani Encyclopedia./ Accessed 9 April 2013</ref> [[Tomas Tyn]] [[Order of Preachers|O.P.]] (1950–1990), Abelardo Lobato [[Order of Preachers|O.P.]] (1925–2012), Leo Elders (1926– ) and [[Ventimiglia Giovanni|Giovanni Ventimiglia]] (1964– ) among others. Fabro in particular emphasizes Aquinas' originality, especially with respect to the ''actus essendi'' or act of existence of finite beings by participating in being itself. Other scholars such as those involved with the "Progetto Tommaso" seek to establish an objective and universal reading of Aquinas' texts.<ref>See {{cite book |first=Raffaele |last=Rizzello |chapter=Il Progetto Tommaso |title=Vita quaerens intellectum |editor1=Giacomo Grasso, O.P. |editor2=Stefano Serafini |publisher=Millennium Romae |location=Rome |year=1999 |pages=157–161 |chapter-url=http://www.phmae.it/rec35.htm |access-date=2013-09-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928013141/http://www.phmae.it/rec35.htm |archive-date=2013-09-28 }}</ref>

Thomistic scholasticism in the English speaking world went into decline in the 1970s when the Thomistic revival that had been spearheaded by [[Jacques Maritain]], [[Étienne Gilson]], and others, diminished in influence. Partly, this was because this branch of [[Thomism]] had become a quest to understand the historical Aquinas after the [[Second Vatican Council]].