[grey_whiskers]

It developed slowly as more and more researchers shrugged off the shackles of Medieval thinking.

Scholasticism predated the Medieval period; and Scholasticism was very useful in preserving the classical writings which were of such importance in the Rensaissance.

Scholasticism isn't *bad* by the way; it acts as a preservative against people going off half-cocked into unsubstantiated fads. Think of the hidebound dorkwads at the FDA--and then consider the folks who would be selling "crystal healing" and the like but for the disapproval of the bureaucrats.

Cultural and sociological effects play a role in science just as "pure reason" does.

Cheers!

[Junior]

Scholasticism predated the Medieval period; and Scholasticism was very useful in preserving the classical writings which were of such importance in the Rensaissance.

Scholasticism isn't science. Science as we know it (observation => hypothesis => experimentation/observation => revision = repeat => theory) didn't begin until the late 16th/early 17th century. The classical Greeks did the observation => hypothesis thingy, but didn't take it much from there.