Etienne Gilson (1884-1978) was a philosopher and theologian who took to analyzing Thomism historically. To Gilson, Thomism is by no means identical with Scholasticism, but rather a revolt against it. Gilson saw a break down of Philosophy into a science which would signal man's abdication of the right to judge and rule nature, man made a mere part of nature, which in turn would give the green light for the most reckless of social adventures to play havoc with human lives and institutions. Against "systems" of philosophy, Gilson was convinced that it was the revival of the philosophy of Aquinas that opens the way out of that danger zone.