ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

Koers and the ideal of Christian scholarship

 

Koers en die ideaal van Christelike wetenskap

 

 

Daniël F. M. Strauss

Department of Philosophy, University of the Free State, South Africa

Correspondence

 

 

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ABSTRACT

Commemorating the 75-year existence of the journal Koers is connected to the Reformational tradition, from Calvin to Kuyper, Stoker, Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoven - all thinkers who realised that the biblical starting point of life indeed touches the heart, the religious root, of humankind and therefore cannot remain restricted to church life and religion in its narrow sense, but must come to expression in all walks of life. This awareness was a fruit of the Christian worldview and lifeview which currently is confronted by the Big Bang claims and by neo-Darwinism - both movements taking on cultic dimensions with an intolerance towards everyone who does not accept their perspective. Their attitude generated serious reactions on two websites, the impact of which was discussed in this article. Some problems entailed in Darwinism and physicalistic materialism were highlighted, before attention was given to the status of natural laws and normative principles. Particular attention was given to the elimination of God's law and the way in which modern Humanism explored the two cornerstones of modern nominalism, up to the point where human understanding was elevated to become the a priori formal law-giver of nature. This legacy was continued both by the later developments within the Baden school of neo-Kantian thought and Postmodernism, which is placed within the context of the three succeeding epistemic ideals of the past three centuries. Rationality can only fulfil its true calling when it accounts for the cohering diversity within reality without becoming a victim of any form of reductionism - and by following this guiding star, Koers will continue to strengthen its invaluable contribution to the advancement of Christian scholarship.

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OPSOMMING

Die 75-jarige herdenking van die bestaan van die tydskrif Koers is verbind aan die reformatoriese tradisie vanaf Calvyn tot by Kuyper, Stoker, Dooyeweerd en Vollenhoven, almal denkers wat besef het dat die Bybelse uitgangspunt van die lewe die hart as religieuse wortel van die mens se bestaan raak en daarom nie tot die sfeer van die kerk en godsdiens in enger sin beperk kan bly nie - dit moet inderdaad in alle sektore van die lewe deurwerk. Hierdie besef is die vrug van die Christelike lewens- en wêreldbeskouing wat tans gekonfronteer word deur die Big Bang-aansprake en deur die neo-Darwinisme - beide bewegings wat kulties-godsdienstige vorme aanneem en wat intolerant is teenoor elkeen wat nie hul perspektief aanvaar nie. Hierdie instelling het ernstige reaksie op twee webtuistes ontlok. Sommige probleme wat in die Darwinisme en die fisikalistiese materialisme vervat is word belig alvorens aandag aan die status van natuurwette en normatiewe beginsels gegee word. Besondere aandag word geskenk aan die eliminering van God se wet en aan die wyse waarop die moderne Humanisme twee van die grondpilare van die moderne nominalisme ontglip het, tot op die punt waar die menslike verstand tot die apriories-formele wetgewer van die natuur verhef is. Hierdie erfenis is gekontinueer beide deur die latere ontwikkelinge in die neo-Kantiaanse Badense skool en in die postmodernisme, geplaas teen die agtegrond van die drie opeenvolgende kennisideale van die afgelope drie eeue. Rasionaliteit kan slegs die ware roeping daarvan vervul indien dit rekenskap gee van die samehangende verskeidenheid in die skepping sonder om die slagoffer van enige vorm van reduksionisme te word. Wanneer Koers hierdie leidster volg sal dit daarmee voortgaan om 'n waardevolle en onmisbare bydrae te bly lewer ten bate van die bevordering van Christelike wetenskap.

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Acknowledgements

Competing interests

The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.

 

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Correspondence:
Daniël Strauss
PO Box 339
Bloemfontein 9300
South Africa
Email: dfms@cknet.co.za

Received: 05 July 2011
Accepted: 26 Oct. 2012
Published: 09 Nov. 2012