The term Ramism is derived from the name of the French philosopher Petrus Ramus (Pierre de la Ramée, 1515-1572). It was originally an epithet wielded by Ramus’ contemporary opponents to decry his scholarly disciples. In modern-day philosophical usage, the word is used with a neutral connotation. Sometimes, early modern scholars who invoked Ramus along with other scholarly traditions are called Semi-Ramists.

Petrus Ramus was one of the most influential logicians of the 16th century. The Picard philosopher saw logic in the Humanist tradition as an ars disserendi (art of argume…