“Serving the 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘬 at His feet”: an intellectual history of neo-Calvinist philosophy at the University of the Free State, 1942–1968 - Eloff, Rèné (University of the Free State, 2024)
𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 Starting in the early 1940s a particular strand of neo-Calvinist philosophy became institutionalised at the department of philosophy and the department of political philosophy at what was successively known as the University College of the Orange Free State, the University of the Orange Free State and the University of the Free State. The neo-Calvinist philosophy in question, also referred to as “Reformational” philosophy and “Christian” philosophy, was the comprehensive philosophical system of the Dutch legal philosopher, Herman Dooyeweerd, which he called “the philosophy of the cosmonomic idea”. By 1958, this philosophical orientation had come to determine the teaching of philosophy and political philosophy at the institution to the exclusion of other philosophical orientations. During the same time, the founding figures of this Bloemfontein neo-Calvinism, H.J. Strauss and E.A. Venter wrote a number of texts in which they justified the apartheid regime that was coming into being under the National Party. Their justification of apartheid was elaborated with explicit reference to the philosophy of the cosmonomic idea. The aim of this study is to investigate how and why Dooyeweerd’s neo-Calvinist philosophy became institutionalized at the University of the Free State and how this philosophy was able to accommodate a justification of the racial ideology propagated by the National Party. I do this by situating the reception of neo-Calvinism within the development of Afrikaner nationalism in the mid-1930s, and with specific reference to the figure of H.J. Strauss. I relate the reception of neo-Calvinism to two factors: first, what Aletta Norval has described as the “dislocation of identity” experienced by Afrikaners due to the uneven development of capitalism; and second, to the attempts of nationalist intellectuals to meet the cultural claims of British Imperialism with a philosophical position that could affirm Afrikaners’ relationship to “Western civilization”, while at the same time distancing Afrikaner culture from the perceived enemies of liberalism, humanism and communism to point out an alternative course of modernisation. Finally, I investigate how this paradigm was used to allow a justification of apartheid ideology in the 1950s. ___________________________________________________________________

𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒔 Beginnende in die vroeë 1940s het ’n bepaalde weergawe van neo-Calvinistiese filosofie gevestig geraak in die departement van filosofie en die departement van politieke filosofie by wat in opeenvolging bekend gestaan het as die Universiteits College van die Oranje-Vrystaat, die Universiteit van die Oranje-Vrystaat en die Universiteit van die Vrystaat. Die betrokke neo-Calvinistiese filosofie, wat ook bekend staan as “Reformatoriese” filosofie en “Christelike” filosofie, was die omvattende filosofiese sisteem van die Nederlandse regsfilosoof, Herman Dooyeweerd, wat daarna verwys het as die “wysbegeerte van die wetsidee”. Teen 1958 het hierdie filosofiese benadering die onderrig van filosofie en politieke filosofie by hierdie instellings bepaal met uitsluiting van ander filosofiese benaderings. Gedurende dieselfde tyd het die stigtersfigure van hierdie Bloemfonteinse neo-Calvinisme, H.J. Strauss en E.A. Venter, ’n aantal tekste geskryf waarin hulle die apartheidsbestel wat besig was om tot stand te kom onder die Nasionale Party, geregverdig het. Hulle regverdiging is ontwikkel met spesifieke verwysing na die wysbegeerte van die wetsidee. Die doel van hierdie studie is om te ondersoek hoe en hoekom Dooyeweerd se neo-Calvinistiese filosofie gevestig geraak het by die Universiteit van die Vrystaat en hoe hierdie filosofie ontvanklik kon word vir ’n regverdiging van die rasse-ideologie wat uitgedra is deur die Nasionale Party. Ek doen dit deur die ontvangs van neo-Calvinisme te plaas binne die ontwikkeling van Afrikaner-nasionalisme in die middel 1930s, met spesifieke verwysing na die figuur van H.J. Strauss. Ek verbind die ontvangs van neo-Calvinisme met twee faktore: eerstens, na wat Aletta Norval beskryf het as die “verplasing van identiteit” soos ervaar deur Afrikaners vanweë die oneweredige ontwikkeling van kapitalisme; en tweedens, met pogings deur nasionalistiese intellektuele om die kulturele aansprake van Britise Imperialisme te weerstaan met ’n filosofiese posisie wat Afrikaners se verhouding met die “Westerse beskawing” kon bevestig, terwyl dit terselfdertyd ’n afstand kon skep tussen Afrikanerkultuur en die gewaande vyande, liberalisme, humanisme en kommunisme, en daarmee ’n alternatiewe weg tot modernisering aandui. Laastens ondersoek ek hoe hierdie paradigma in die 1950s aangewend word om ’n regverdiging vir apartheid te verwoord. ___________________________________________________________________
Thesis(Ph.D.(Philosophy & Classics))--University of the Free State, 2024
Keywords: University College of the Orange Free State; University of the Orange Free State; University of the Free State; Neo-Calvinist philosophy; "Reformational" philosophy; "Christian" philosophy; Herman Dooyeweerd; "the philosophy of the cosmonomic idea"; National Party; Afrikaner nationalism; Apartheid ideology