Levinas' thinking in Totality and Infinity is centered on the relation with the Infinite. This relation is paradoxical. To be possible, the experience of a separated subject is postulated as a transcendental presupposition. But this separation is at the same time unthinkable without the Infinite. In his main work, The Star of Redemption, Franz Rosenzweig stimulates the thinking of this relation. The renewal of Levinas' thinking of the paradox is made possible by phaenomenology . But the confrontation with Husserl indicates (...) the limit of Levinas' thinking: the asymmetrical relation with the Infinite is unthinkable without the acceptance of some kind of symmetry. (shrink)

The South African-Dutch research group responsible for this article started its activities in 2012 by looking at religious tolerance as a means of addressing the tendency for religious intolerance, extremism and fundamentalism. While tolerance seemed to be a promising way to counter religious intolerable behaviour, some shortcomings also became apparent. For example, the concept of tolerance includes an aspect of passivity towards others who adhere to another religion. The concept also does not appear to be able to respond to attitudes (...) and values such as respect, human rights and diversity. Accurate investigation of this problem, both conceptually and empirically, led to the understanding that hospitality is a concept that embodies more active adaptation to those who are different. Hospitality, therefore, seems to be a more promising concept than tolerance for reducing religious tension between individuals and groups. The inner contradiction discovered by Derrida in the notion of hospitality does not detract from the concept of being defined from a Biblical point of view. Hospitality can also be taught to young people. Although there are no formal provisions for hospitality in the national curricula, an analysis of the Dutch and South African national curricula shows that there is room for hospitality education. (shrink)

In this article we discuss the relation between the concepts of truth, religious pluriformity and toleration in the thinking of Spinoza. We begin to discuss Spinoza’s concept of truth. Hereby we distinguish between several intrinsic and extrinsic criteria of truth on an epistemological level. However, Spinoza’s concept of truth is not only important on a cognitive level, but also with respect to human emotions and behaviour. In this domain of human imagination, emotions and behaviour there is necessarily a pluriformity of (...) opinions, endaevours and efforts. Because of this pluriformity there is in every human community a certain tendency to conflicts and intoleration between individuals and groups. This is also the case with regard to religious pluriformity, for the phenomenon of religion is considered by Spinoza as a specific form of human imagination, where a lot of different emotions and practices are involved, which can generate all sorts of interhuman conflicts. Intoleration in a situation of religious pluriformity appears when one human individual or group considers himself as superior to another on religious grounds. However, according to Spinoza the significance of religion for the individual and the community is not about the question of truth, but about that of piety, i.e. a moral practice of justice and charity. Therefore, no religion can consider herself superior to another on the basis of truth. Only philosophy and science deals with the truth in an epistemological sense. (shrink)

Essays over de essentie van de moderne mystiek-innerlijke ervaring op het grensvlak tussen literatuur, filosofie, beeldende kunst en film.

Conscience as experience, symbol and concept For most of the recorded history of the Western world, conscience was experienced and conceptualized as, if not a divine phenomenon in itself, then at least a point of contact with the divine, with absolute moral truth. Its respected status still shows in the legal provisions made for conscientious objections. Over time, however, conscience underwent a devaluation, until in the twentieth century the concept had largely disappeared from philosophical ethics as well as mainstream psychology. (...) In this article I trace the history of conscience in an attempt to make sense of this devaluation, and to rethink the concept of conscience. Inspired by the work of Eric Voegelin, Michael Polanyi, and others, I argue that a certain forgetfulness lay behind the modern rejection of the concept: a forgetting of the symbolic nature of expressions of conscience, and of the experiences that engendered those expressions. By recovering those experiences and reminding ourselves of the symbolic nature of expressions of conscience we are also able to construct a ‘fluid’ concept of conscience that does justice to its experiential reality without reifying conscience. This may also be a first step towards a renewed appreciation of the meta-ethical importance of (engaging with) experiences of conscience. (shrink)

Filosofisch-historische bijdrage aan de discussie over de christelijke identiteit van de Vrije Universiteit.

In our reflections upon the view of Leibniz on the many religions and their relations we elaborate three points. In the first place, Leibniz appears to be a faithful Christian, nominally a Lutheran, but not exactly bound to just one confession. He tried to be a real ecumenist. During all his career he made efforts to come to one, universal church , on a dogmatic as well as a practical level. For this aim he corresponded on these topics with many (...) influential catholics of his time, e.g. with Arnauld, Bossuet and Pellisson . Leibniz saw the other forms of monotheism as preliminary stages of Christianity. For him the remaining religions were paganism and therefore they should be suppressed. But Christianity would be enriched by an exchange with the three other forms of monotheism. In the second place, we may conclude that Leibniz understood toleration as a recognition of the other and as an expectation for exchange. But in the third place, we have to take into account his final religious perspective: natural religion . This is an almost philosophical religion with Christian features, usually called deism. With the help of his natural religion Leibniz wanted to combat what he called the atheism and materialism of the philosophy of his time, i.e. the ideas of Hobbes, Descartes and Spinoza. But his own position is rather close to them. (shrink)

Cet article essaie de définir la phénoménologie comme une recherche du „phénomène vrai” (Aristote), dans lequel s'identifient expérience et vérité. I. Par une réflexion sur le perspectivisme inhérent à toute perception, on conclue à l'impossibilité d'une description pure et neutre. Le „monde de la perception” précédant toute interprétation n'est qu'un moment abstrait de l'expérience totale, dont nulle méthode ne peut l'isoler comme s'il était quelque chose de concret. Une phénoménologie, qui, par sa description, veut séparer ce moment abstrait du tout (...) de l'expérience réelle, souffre d'un dualisme anthropologique. II. A cause de l'interaction qu'il y a entre le monde vécu de l'expérience totale d'une part, et chaque perception partielle de l'autre, la compréhension des perceptions particulières suppose que l'on comprenne la diversité des mondes vécus comme différentes „figures de la conscience”. Cette compréhension se développe selon deux niveaux: 1. celui d'une typologie phénoménologique des différentes „figures” ou „ visions” du monde, et 2. celui d'une répétition philosophique de ces „mondes”. Avec et contre Hegel on essaie de montrer par quel „savoir” la conscience est guidée pendant son voyage de découverte: une certitude qui connaît la vérité comme le terme mystérieux du désir fondamental de l'homme. Ce terme, dont personne n'a une connaissance concrète avant de s'être risqué jusqu'au bout dans l'aventure de l'expérience vivante, n'est pas l'Ithaca d'une réflexion sans âge, mais le pays lointain dont on n'a jamais fini de découvrir un peu plus la nouveauté. L'exode de cette quête du mystère lontain et surprenant, reste fidèle à la terre en scrutant son secret. L'individualité humaine, perspective radicale englobant toute l'expérience, empêche que la vérité se donne autrement qu'à travers le dialogue. (shrink)

The article describes the development of adolescents for a sense of self in a lesbian home, in order to compile guidelines for lesbian parents as well as pastoral counsellors to help and guide adolescents to develop a healthy sense of self. From the research results, it appears that there are certain positive and negative aspects of a lesbian home that influence adolescents’ sense of self. Where both parents are involved with the adolescents, share household duties equally and have a quality (...) relationship with each other and the adolescents, the adolescents are generally well-adapted, happy and able to handle challenges in order to develop a healthy sense of self. The positive influence that Christian religious certainty has on the overall development of the adolescents was also confirmed by this study. On the other hand, adolescents experience particular aspects as challenging and impeding in their development of a healthy sense of self: Conflict and criticism from the companion parents are humiliating and destructive. Stigmatising, teasing and rejection from the hetero-normative society, as a result of their parents’ sexual orientation, appear to be the largest obstacles in their psychosocial development. They react in a shy, negative and evasive way to the stigmatisation and withdraw themselves from situations that could be painful and humiliating. It also appears that the absence of a father figure and financial tension in lesbian families are impeding the adolescents’ healthy development of a sense of self. (shrink)

Alvin Plantinga verdedigt een externalistische kentheorie ten aanzien van religieus geloof. In dit artikel beargumenteer ik dat een internalistische benadering meer recht doet aan de manier waarop veel mensen hun relatie ten aanzien van geloven ervaren: geloven gaat vaak gepaard met twijfel, en iemand moet in zijn of haar geloof vaak afwegingen maken tussen argumenten voor en tegen het bestaan van God. In Plantinga’s theorie wordt er aan het metafysische probleem of er al dan niet een God bestaat te weinig (...) recht gedaan, waardoor er tevens te weinig ruimte wordt geboden voor wederzijds respect tussen gelovigen en niet gelovigen. (shrink)

Inleiding tot de fenomenologische methode van werkelijkheidsbenadering.

The city of Bruges went through an amalgamation operation already in 1971. The number of personnel increased considerably, though there was no question of a surplus. This increase is only partially to be ascribed to the amalgamation. The integration of the personnel from the formel municipalities proceeded quite well, although the coordination had to be improved on some points. On the political level, all of the former municipalities are represented with a predominance of the outskirts. For the provision of services, (...) a decentralised approach was chosen. Except for centralisation of the Registry for Births, Deaths, and Marriages, the ordinary administrative services were decentralised to the former municipal halls. The financial capacity increased steadily, which was necessary to cover the greater financial needs, which can be reduced to the supplementary expenses resulting from the amalgamation, which brought with it an expansion of the task package. On the level of the input and participation facilities, functional and territorial advisory councils were created, which function quite satisfactorily. Neighbourhood meetings are organised on the occasion of large projects. Globally, the Bruges amalgamation succeeded. A more flexible supervisory authority would be able to give more efficiency and effectiveness to the policy. (shrink)

Religions and religious actors are increasingly associated with extremism and violence. A mainstream view that sees religions as prone to violence has been affirmed within the West. Yet, to affirm that religions promote anti-democratic projects and are inclined to violence can only partially capture the impact of religious voices in contemporary societies. In fact, religions have often played an important role in promoting democratic transition and religiously inspired doctrines have importantly supported peace and reconciliation processes in divided societies. This paper (...) argues that the mainstream view reproduces and extends a traditional liberal wariness toward the alleged incendiary role of religions in politics, the so-called doctrine of religious restraint. This view, I argue, is based on a misinterpretation of contemporary liberal theory and, especially, of Rawls’s Political Liberalism. The paper shows that Rawls’s framework instead provides an extensive accommodation of religions in political life. Starting from this premise, this paper responds to the mainstream view by focussing on the role of religious actors and sensitivities in reconciling divided societies. (shrink)

In deze bijdrage wordt een lans gebroken voor een groter aandeel van de zintuiglijkheid bij de kennisverwerving in het algemeen. Er wordt daarbij in grote mate ingespeeld op de mogelijkheden van de moderne technologie en van de ICT-toepassingen in het bijzonder. Deze maken het immers mogelijk om op interactieve wijze met de werkelijkheid om te gaan op een manier die afwijkt van de overwegend digitale modus van de traditionele kennisoverdracht. Het is een uitdagende evolutie, die grote gevolgen heeft voor de (...) invulling van het onderwijs. De analoge modus heeft echter ook haar rechten, omdat ze heel wat rijker is dan het beperkte begrippenkader dat vaak op een bijna totalitaire wijze op de werkelijkheid wordt losgelaten. We willen daarom graag aansluiten bij de moderne opvatting over een leerling als een lerend en adaptief systeem. Centraal in deze opvatting staat de interactie met de werkelijkheid en de mogelijkheid om hierbij gebruik te maken van “tools” en “interfaces”. De tools hebben zowel betrekking op de waarneming als op de actie, en er zijn ook cognitieve tools. Het gebruik van computertechnologie maakt het verder mogelijk om ook op het vlak van de interfaces heel sterk in te grijpen. -/- . (shrink)

Het is moeilijk om de christelijke instelling te aanvaarden dat het kwaad in het menselijk bestaan en dat het vele leed dat hieruit voorvloeit in een door God gewilde ordening past. Alleen de niet-christelijke visie van een dualistische bestaansorde, waarin goed en kwaad als in een ying-yang cirkel onverbrekelijk vereend zijn, biedt een verklaring, die zowel voor het verstand als voor het gevoel aanvaardbaar is.

Inleiding in de muziekfilosofie die aanzet tot denken, maar ook tot luisteren dankzij de bijbehorende website.