A religious outlook on the formation of universities and education systems

The next few weeks we will consider an important institution that has helped unfold the Catholic intellectual and social tradition: the university. When did universities first emerge? How have Catholic philosophers and theologians thought about universities, education and intellectual formation? What does Second Vatican Council say about Catholic education? Do pressures exist in contemporary Catholic universities that may have consequences for maintaining Catholic identity? This week we look at the birth of universities in the medieval period and the role that Church and State played.

Before universities, centers of learning included monasteries, royal courts and cathedral schools. Benedictine monasteries were leaders in preserving classical knowledge through the study of Latin texts, while cathedral schools mostly educated clerics (i.e. those training for the priesthood). As Europe underwent significant economic and political transformation due to urbanization and trade expansion, law and administration became more complex, necessitating shifts in learning. Greater emphasis was being placed on civil and canon law, the scholastic teaching method and the philosophical works of Aristotle via Islamic scholars. This introduced disciplines like metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, psychology and biology.

The scholastic method entailed a rational investigation of problems in theology, philosophy, medicine and law — to name a few — which were examined from opposing points of view. This is referred to as a dialectic. The goal was to reach an intelligible and scientific fix that aligned with current facts, reason, authoritative sources and Christian faith. This is how the Catholic intellectual tradition developed during the medieval period. Instead of ignorance and superstition, then, it was a period of deep critical thinking that university institutions facilitated.

The first universities include Bologna, Paris and Oxford. Around 1200, for example, King Philip II of France issued privileges for the University of Paris that gave it independence from local authorities. In 1215, Pope Innocent III issued a bull (i.e. official letter) giving the university academic and legal autonomy. This autonomy provided the university with governing authority to establish faculties, curriculum and grant degrees. The granting of degrees provided the student with a license to teach at other universities thereby increasing mobility and freedom. It seems that both the State and Church recognized the value of providing academics some freedom to pursue questions and engage in debate. Was this autonomy always respected by the Church and State? No. The works of Aristotle, for example, were initially under suspicion and only allowed to be read by the professors and not taught (but this eventually changed). An ideal, nonetheless, was established.

The freedom to critically investigate problems and develop solutions — through a method of debate that looked at opposing sides while gathering evidence, authoritative sources, faith and the autonomous use of reason — was established by Church and State through the privileges it granted to a university like the one in Paris over 800 years ago.

What role does critical thinking play in your life? How do you integrate it with faith? Next week’s article will discuss John Henry Newman’s understanding of the university. Peace.