the system of philosophy, theology, and teaching that dominated medieval western Europe and was based on the writings of the Church Fathers and (from the 12th century) Aristotle
2.
strict adherence to traditional doctrines
scholasticism in American English
(skəˈlæstəˌsɪzəm)
noun
1. [oftenS-]
the system of logic, philosophy, and theology of medieval university scholars, or schoolmen, from the 10th to the 15th century, based upon Aristotelian logic, the writings of the early Christian fathers, and the authority of tradition and dogma