The theologians of the Middle Ages in Europe used this term to speak of the original meaning of Scripture. Thomas Aquinas made a distinction between this and the "allegorical" sense.

In hermeneutics, this term is used to explain how we can progressively gain a better understanding of Scripture as we continue to dialog with the text. 

School of thought whose proponents tried to use rational and scientific objectivity to obtain an exhaustive understanding of everything they studied.

Approach to knowledge that believes that knowledge is always influenced by personal biases, making impartial objectivity impossible