"Sententiarist" Pronounce,Meaning And Examples

"Sententiarist" Meaning

A sententiarist is a medieval scholastic philosopher who concentrated on developing and applying the concept of social contracts in relation to state and society. Sententiarists were interested in the interplay between the individual and the state, and they often focused on questions of rights, obligations, and governance. The term "sententiam" is Latin for "sentence" or "opinion," which is the root of sententiarist philosophy.

Sententiarist thought was influenced by the work of St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Augustine and was primarily associated with the University of Paris during the 14th to 16th centuries. Sententiarists engaged in debate and discussion on the nature and limits of state power, and their ideas had a significant impact on the development of modern political thought, including the contributions of thinkers such as Hugo Grotius and Thomas Hobbes.

"Sententiarist" Examples

1. The judge was a sententiarist who strictly adhered to the letter of the law, never allowing sympathy or bias to influence her decisions.

2. After taking ethics into account, the sententiarist concluded that justice demanded a maximum sentence for the defendant.

3. Critics accused the sententiarist of overstepping bounds when she imposed the harshest punishment under the new Sentencing Reform Act.

4. As a sententiarist for the appeals court, she was known for her meticulous review of every case, rooting out inconsistencies in previous judgments.

5. She surprised many when she stepped down from her position as a sententiarist after writing a powerful essay advocating for prison reform.