Universities and Philosophy

During the period from 1200 to 1500, philosophy was to a large extent located at the Arts faculties of the various universities, of which there were more than 50 by the beginning of the Modern Age. Its main concern was the reading of Aristotle, whose works were commented upon according to analogous procedures at each of the universities. These similarities facilitated the exchange of students and masters, who through the influx of new ideas, stimulated debates about the interpretation of Aristotle’s texts as well as the implications of his thought. Time and again, questions about the relationship between philosophy and theology led to serious conflicts, which had important consequences for the teaching of philosophy at the universities, most significantly exemplified by the Wegestreit in the late-medieval period.