Why did Bernard of Clairvaux distrust dialectic and secular philosophy in matters of faith?

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was deeply suspicious of secular learning and the use of dialectic in matters of faith because he believed that true spiritual knowledge was found through mystical contemplation and intuition rather than intellectual analysis.123

Bernard advocated for a form of higher knowledge that serves as the complement and fruition of faith, reaching its completion specifically through prayer and contemplation. He famously emphasized that one could find far greater wisdom in nature—such as in the woods, stones, and trees—than in books or the teachings of masters.2

His distrust was particularly directed at contemporaries like Peter Abelard, whose "excessive indulgence" in dialectical methods to analyze theological mysteries and reconcile contradictions was viewed by Bernard as an erroneous approach to divine truth. For Bernard, the path to God was rooted in a doctrine of mystical love and the imitation of Christ, rather than the logical dissection of dogma.1432