Pre-Knights Period (pre-1530) Before the advent of the
Knights Hospitaller to Malta in the first half of the 16th century, the
Maltese Islands were a forlorn place with little, if any, political importance. The few intellectuals who lived here grew within or around the
Catholic religious orders that were present. Their cultural ties were mostly with nearby
Sicily. Philosophy was mainly studied as a stepping stone to theology. Back then,
Sicily was a celebrated and thriving academic, intellectual and cultural centre, and all local professionals studied there. At the time, the
Renaissance was in full bloom. Though the
Counter-Reformation played an important part in every academic and intellectual institution, literature issued by the major
Reformation educationalists, including
Martin Luther, were available and read extensively.
Hospitaller rule (1530–1798) The
Knights Hospitaller made Malta their island-home in 1530 and remained sovereign rulers of the islands until they were expelled by
Napoleon in 1798. As a rule, they cared about education and cultivation as much as their military campaigns and their economic welfare. Though they encouraged higher learning by giving protection to the various colleges and universities that were established (especially by
Catholic religious orders), they also kept a very strict surveillance on all aspects of scholarship. They certainly did not like being picked on by the
Inquisition, which could make them look bad with the
Pope in
Rome. 's work on Ontology (1935/40) Though philosophy continued to be mainly viewed as the
hand-maid of theology, some intellectuals had an interest in cautiously branching out along some pathways of their own. Though the philosophical contributions of these masters are fascinating in themselves, prevalent control and restrictions on intellectual activity hardly ever left them room for originality and innovation. During this period intellectual circles were practically all part of the great movement of
Scholasticism, almost giving godlike status to
Aristotle. Nonetheless, they were divided into two intellectually opposing camps: the larger group which read the great
Stagirite through the eyes of
Thomas Aquinas, and the others who read him through the eyes of
John Duns Scotus. All of these academics and intellectuals produced large numbers of commentaries, either on Aristotle or on their respective mentor. Their creativity was largely expressed strictly within the confines of their particular school of thought, and this severely restricted their novelty. During the 18th-century part of the period of the Knights Hospitaller, science and the scientific method began to make head-way over the trenches of the Scholastics. This line of thought was generally not pursued by ecclesiastics, on whom control was more stern, but by lay professionals, especially doctors. These, however, usually had no sway over students registered with academic institutions, which were still rigorously controlled by members of
religious orders.
Interregnum Period (1798–1813) Towards the end of the period of the Hospitallers in Malta, ideas which had been explosive through the
French Revolution of 1789 began to make way into some intellectual circles susceptible to them. They came to full fruition around 1798, when
Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Malta and expelled the Hospitallers. However, they were already making the rounds during the decade preceding Napoleon. Of course, these ideas were much influenced by
Enlightenment philosophies, especially in
France. 's
La Giurisprudenza Vindicata (1779)
British Colonial Period (1813–1964) During this period, the higher schools resumed their business very much as was done during Hospitaller rule. Again
Scholasticism came to the fore and flourished. However, this time around, it was the
Thomist version which prevailed almost exclusively, even if circumstances, along two centuries and a half of British rule, changed drastically over the years. As in former years, the larger part of the philosophers of this period were ecclesiastics, predominantly members of
religious orders. Again, due to censor and control, they hardly ever ventured to propose anything philosophically bold or imaginative. An outstanding exception to all of these was
Manuel Dimech, who lived and worked during the first decade of the 20th century. He not only did not adhere to any form of Scholasticism but, furthermore, was a surprisingly innovative and original philosopher and social reformer.
Post-Independence Period (since 1964) By the time of Malta's independence Scholasticism had waned and slowly faded away. Very few continued to uncritically adhere to its tenets, and these were restricted to small religious (particularly Catholic) circles. 's
Beginning Philosophy (1987) Most of the other philosophers became somewhat more adventurous, exploring spheres which were to some extent inaccessible during the British (and much less the Hospitaller) period. In terms of the development of doing philosophy in Malta,
Peter Serracino Inglott stands out as all-important, especially from the late 1960s onwards. Some other Maltese philosophers worked abroad. Though they retained their limited contact with Malta, they of course had a different frame of mind. Their influence on young Maltese philosophers was negligible. ==Chair of Philosophy at the University of Malta==