Koers (E-Journal)
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Foreword
Get PDFPublishing a Festschrift in honour of the academic work of a colleague and fellow scholar certainly constitutes one of the most rewarding intellectual events such an academic can experience. Having the task to write a Foreword to this Festschrift is, therefore, in itself, also a special privilege
The mythic foundation of National Socialism and the contemporary claim that the Nazis were Christians
Get PDFThis article examines the ideas of Alfred Rosenberg, the “chief ideologue” of German National Socialism. Its aim is to show that, contrary to the claims of a growing number of people encouraged by the so-called “new atheism”, the Nazis held a coherent worldview that was vehemently anti-Christian. To deal with criticism of Christianity by these writers and speakers, it is necessary for Christians to become aware of the Nazi worldview and how deeply it was rooted in modern paganism
“Go out and gather each day ...”: implications of the ethics of Exodus 16 for modern consumerism
Get PDFThis article focuses on the implied ethical principles of the history of the manna in Exodus 16 and the relevance of these ethical principles for the contemporary culture of consumerism. The principles that can be derived from this history are the principle of labour and rest, of sharing, the ethical principles of responsible consumption, the protection of creation and of remembrance of God’s concern for humankind and creation. Modern consumerism with its underlying neo-liberal economic philosophy appears to violate these principles in many ways. The implied ethical principles of the manna history is thus highly relevant in the ethical discourse about economic planning,labour and rest, the environment and God’s involvement in the modern world
\u27Om te kan asemhaal\u27: transformerende mimesis as voorwaarde vir betrokkenheid in die poësie van Antjie Krog
Get PDF\u27In order to breathe\u27: transformative mimesis as a condition for commitment in the poetry of Antjie Krog Committed writing makes salient a type of relationship between text, reality and reader which presupposes mimesis. Mimesis is, however, a seemingly outdated concept in literary aesthetics. Therefore, it is necessary to rehabilitate mimesis conceptually in order to account for actual literary commitment. This rehabilitation can be done via Paul Ricoeur?s theory of a threefold mimesis, also known as mimetic arc. The mimetic arc allows a view of mimesis that privileges neither aesthetic autonomy nor aesthetic heteronomy. Thereby the power of art to influence society is preserved without compromising its unique aesthetic goals and characteristics. The threefold mimetic process consequently points towards a transformative mimesis, which acts as the condition for the possibility of literary commitment itself. The principles of transformative mimesis are present in the poetry of Antjie Krog in a salient and enlightening way, making her poetry exemplary committed art
Metaphor: The intertwinement of thought and language
Get PDFThe analysis of this article aims at reflecting on the nature of metaphoricity within the context of thought and language – inspired by the contributions of Elaine Botha in this regard commencing about three decades ago. This paved the way for those who were working within the tradition of reformational philosophy to take a new look at the nature of metaphor. Since thinking and talking are concrete activities in principle functioning in all aspects of reality, they cannot as such provide criteria to decide on the order relationship between the logicalanalytical and lingual aspects of reality. It turns out that, without a proper view of the differences between concept and word, an account of the nature of metaphor remains inconsistent. Universal traits, logical objectification, and the conceptual unknowability of what is individual, surfaces in the article. The foundational role of spatial relationships appears to be linked to imaging and imagining, informing the proposal to differentiate between modally and entitary directed knowing. The linguistic turn in particular inspired a renewed interest in language and the central place of metaphorical language use. After considering the connections between analogy and metaphor a new approach to the distinction between modal analogies and metaphors is proposed – one that is geared towards the interconnections between the different dimensions of our experiential world. The last part is dedicated to Lakoff and Johnson (1999) who have developed a peculiar view of the “embodied mind”, “conceptual metaphor”, and “cross-domain mappings”, while the article concludes with an argument about the limits of substitution and take into account expanded conditions
Reconsidering the role of power, punishment and discipline in South African schools
Get PDFThis article examines the role of discipline and punishment in South African schools and seeks to interrogate the underlying power relations that guide teaching and learning in South Africa. It deconstructs the pre-occupation with discipline, power and punishment in South African schools in terms of the theoretical framework provided by Michel Foucault in his work entitled “Surveiller et punir: naissance de la prison” (1975) which was translated as “Discipline and punish: the birth of the prison”(1977). It was Foucault who reminded us that the modern school is based on Prussian military ideals of punctuality, discipline, neatness and submissiveness to authority. Foucault tends to see schooling as one side of “corriger”, which is to punish or to teach. Education as “correction” is therefore regarded as the antipode of authoritarian punishment. Foucault draws attention to the subtle tactics and constraints beneath the surface of proclaimed bourgeois freedom. It was found that in South African schools the problem of authoritarian punishment is still rife. From the readings of Foucault’s works suggestions are made for changes to the system and to teachers’ mental attitude in order to move to a more constructive way of maintaining power and discipline
Over grote en kleine dingen – een bijbelse metafoor
Get PDFHet was in de afgelopen winter een bijzondere ervaring voor mij, om samen met Elaine Botha in haar gastvrije huis in Hamilton een aantal Nieuw-Testamentische gelijkenissen te lezen. Geduldig legde ze me daarbij uit, dat een gelijkenis vrijwel altijd is opgebouwd uit een menigte van metaforen, en dat, waar werkelijkheid en metafoor elkaar overlappen, er vanuit dit tussengebied nieuwe ervaringen kunnen ontstaan; impulsen die verder gaan dan wat oorspronkelijk in de metaforen was vervat. Daaraan denkend zou ik graag iets te berde willen brengen over een van de meest opmerkelijke gelijkenissen van Jezus, de gelijkenis van de onrechtvaardige rentmeester, waaraan we in ons gezamenlijk leesrooster zelf nog niet toegekomen waren (Luc. 16:1-8)
Embodied freedom
Get PDFIn this article I explore the relationship between freedom and embodiment. Firstly I argue that freedom is an essential part of our being human, whatever science might say, and should be understood as the possibility to be ourselves. I propose an understanding that starts from the perspective of the second person. In the second part I analyse the writing of a scientific article as a case study of the experience of freedom in a concrete practice. I show how normative elements are a necessary part of such a practice. In the third part I argue that the “free agent” is in fact the concrete person who acts and thinks. I also discuss the place of causation. In the final part I elaborate on the view of the person, as understood from a second person perspective, and on the meaning of freedom, taking my starting point in the biblical understanding