THE SCHOLASTIC POSITION 37 



where one would scarcely expect to find it, and 

 is responsible for misconceptions which it will 

 be well to clear up once for all before any 

 further progress is made with the subject itself. 

 For example, M'Dougall (p. 33), in his sum- 

 mary of the history tells us that the philosophy 

 and psychology taught by St Thomas Aquinas, 

 which, he adds, were " the culmination of the 

 scholastic efforts," " have remained with com- 

 paratively little change the accepted doctrines 

 of the Roman Church.". 



Here there is a curious confusion in the use 

 of the word " doctrines," often used in place 

 of dogmata. If the author just quoted sup- 

 poses and this would appear to be the mean- 

 ing of his words that the teachings of Scholas- 

 tic Philosophy are or become dogmata of the 

 Catholic Church, then he is absolutely wide of 

 the mark. The dogmata of the Church belong 

 to the domain of Revealed Religion and rest, 

 therefore, primarily on Authority. Scholastics 

 have never ceased proclaiming that authority 

 is the weakest basis for philosophical structures 

 to be erected upon. "Auctoritas cereum nasum 

 habet, in diversum potest ftecti sensum, ra- 

 tionibus roborandum est," said Alan of Lille, 

 and St Thomas Aquinas himself says : " Locus 

 ab auctoritate qux jundata super ratione Authority 

 humana est infirmissimus." Finally, to com- 



