Venter, Ponti2019-08-052019-08-051999Venter, P. (1999). 'Modernity': the historical ontology. Acta Academica, 31(2), 18-46.2415-0479 (online)0587-2405 (print)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/10251English: The article focuses on a fundamental and generally disregarded aspect of modern thought: the turn in eighteenth-century philosophy towards a historical ontology. The works of selected intellectuals such as Defoe and Rousseau (in contrast to Hobbes) highlight the shift away from a static, hierarchical ontology with God as the highest structuring force, in the direction of a historical ontology with an inherent teleology and the dominance of reason as its eschaton - progress between the dialectically related poles of nature and culture. This historical ontology has since been taken up by important nineteenth-century thinkers such as Hegel, Comte, Marx and Darwin, and also makes its influence felt in the irrationalist tradition (albeit with the poles inverted), and even in the present day in various areas of culture (such as the film Dead Poets' Society).Afrikaans: Die artikel beoog om 'n fundamentele, meesal misgekykte aspek van die moderne denke onder vergrootglas te plaas, naamlik die historiese wending in die ontologie in die agtiende eeu. Aan die hand van werke van geselekteerde intellektuele soos Defoe en Rousseau (in teenstelling tot Hobbes) word die verskuiwing aangedui: weg van 'n statiese hierargiese ontologie met God as die hoogste struktureerder, in die rigting van 'n historiese ontologie met 'n inherente teleologie en die heerskappy van rasionaliteit as sy eschaton - vooruitgang tussen die dialekties-verbonde pole van natuur en kultuur. Die historiese ontologie kan by belangrike negentiende-eeuse denkers (Hegel, Comte, Marx, Darwin) teruggevind word, en laat geld hom ook in die irrasionalistiese tradisie (sy dit met die pole omgekeerd), selfs tot vandag in verskillende kultuurvertakkinge (soos die film Dead Poets' Society).enModernityModern thoughtHistorical ontologyArticleUniversity of the Free State