and Thomas of Aquinas made monumental breakthroughs in the philosophy of temporality and metaphysics, respectively.

The principles that underlie all the medieval philosophers' work are:
* The use of logic, dialectic, and analysis to discover the truth, known as ratio;
* Respect for the insights of ancient philosophers, in particular Aristotle, and deference to their authority (auctoritas);
* The obligation to co-ordinate the insights of philosophy