The backdrop against which this paper situates its main theme is the multicultural society. Multiculturalness has become a fact of life, one with which one will have to reckon. The possibility of a multicultural society is ‘proven’ at every corner of our streets where mosques are opened, hindu temples built, also whenever in our class rooms we meet with non-white, non-Christian students — which in my own situation happens more and more. However, there is more to it than mere facts. (...) These days one often hears appeals for a new attitude, a new ethos. The new ethos, it is often said, needs to be geared to and affirm the facts of the multicultural society. For convenience’s sake I shall call this ethos: a pluralist ethos. The problem that this contribution wants to pose is whether such a pluralist ethos is possible. (shrink)

This essay focuses on the simile of the hidden player on the instrument of reason which occurs at least ten times in the works of Herman Dooyeweerd. Invariably, the context is his critique of the autonomy of thought. The purpose of the simile seems clear: pointing at the person of the thinker behind the veil of reason in order to dispel the myth of religious neutrality. Although this is indeed the accepted view among interpreters, it is argued that it fails (...) to do justice to Dooyeweerd’s emphasis on participation. The player, the instrument, and the central motif of the music are insolubly interconnected. In the second half of the paper, the idea of participation is highlighted as a counterpoise against both the alleged autonomy of thought and a penchant for personalism among Reformational philosophers. (shrink)

This is the second article in a series of two on the topic of “action” and “reflection”. The first article appeared last year in the fall issue of this journal, 140–171). This second article is divided into two sections. The first section deals with reflection, mainly in the form of reflexivity, a central notion in contemporary sociology and an attitude characteristic of the modern secular mind. The second section discusses second-order agency, subdivided intospiritsandpowers. Most instances of spirits fall under an (...) “as if” category: all these cases are about certain communalities expressing themselves in such a strong way that itseemsas if a supra-personal agent is at work.Zeitgeisterare a point in case. The only incidence of asoag-kind may be that ofmobs. Powers fit our model better than spirits and for that reason most of the second part of this essay is dedicated to that topic. The foremost distinction that will be made is that between incomplete and full powers. The thesis presented in the final section is that powers can only come to completion by taking a “religious turn”. The notion of “assent” as a basic ingredient of human action is what connects the first to the second part of the essay. (shrink)

Dit artikel neemt de secularisatietheorie van H. van Riessen als leidraad. Het begint met het onderscheid tussen secularisatie als emancipatie en als secularisme uit te werken. Vervolgens toont het de actualiteit van deze theorie door op het punt van het onderscheid tussen emancipatie en secularisme overeenkomsten met hedendaagse denkers aan te wijzen . Via een verbinding tussen emancipatie en modernisering wordt daarna Taylors positie vergeleken met radicalere visies op deze verhouding binnen de traditie van de Vrije Universiteit. In het slotgedeelte (...) staat secularisatie als secularisme centraal. Dit onderdeel begint met een analyse van het leerstuk van de ‘werkzame schijn’. Afgesloten wordt met een eigen visie op secularisme als religie. Een ongetoetste vooronderstelling van veel Reformatorische wijsbegeerte is dat religie altijd in geconcentreerde vorm optreedt. Aan de hand van het voorbeeld van multipele religieuze participatie in China maakt dit artikel aannemelijk dat secularisme ook in diffuse vormen kan optreden. (shrink)

Joris van Eijnatten’s critique of our view of ‘directional pluralism’ touches on matters central to Pluralisms and Horizons. It is a honour to have our book subjected to such a careful and sensitive reading. Some of the points he raises we want to keep thinking about, but others are so pivotal to our account — as well as, we believe, to Reformational philosophy as a whole — that a prompt answer is called for. Therefore, we welcome this opportunity for a (...) public response. (shrink)

Mohammed Girma, Understanding Religion and Social Change in Ethiopia. Toward a Hermeneutic of Covenant.Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2012. 240 pages. ISBN 978-1-137-269416.