Koers (E-Journal)
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Moral-jural reflections on the right to marital dignity and the \u27nursery of human society\u27: interpreting Luther’s views on conjugal rights and benevolent love
Get PDFAt the advent of the Reformation, the institution of marriage, with particular emphasis on the marriage of priests and the degeneration of married life in Germany, proved to be a contentious matter in the discourse on marriage between Martin Luther and his colleague Melanchthon on the one hand and the papal authorities on the other. Although Luther subscribed to the basic definition of marriage postulated by the classical Roman jurists, he placed the issue of man’s “de facto” conjugal union in a broader perspective of moral-jural right as the foundation of the spouses’ duties and rights in marriage. Hence the distinction between “de facto” and “de jure” conjugal union enabled Luther and Melanchthon to develop a broader natural law-inspired view on marital dignity and the right thereto. In this article the origin, content and some implications of Luther’s reformational perspectives on the dignity of marriage are investigated
Deepening democracy and enhancing multi-level governance: deficiencies of and prospects for local government ward committees in South Africa
Get PDFThe South African local government system has a number of shortcomings, two of which relate to the role of local government in the deepening of participatory democracy and the position of local government in a system of multi-level governance. In this article, it will be posited that a lack of depth and quality in local democracy compromises the system of intergovernmental relations. Against this background, views on participatory democracy as a theoretical background will be investigated and the development and deficiencies of the ward committee system considered. In order to contextualise the mechanism of local participation, selected international examples of public participation will be considered and an indication of the negative and positive aspects of these cases given. The South African system of intergovernmental relations will be investigated in order to show the importance of local government and public participation therein. Thereafter, suggestions will be made regarding the improvement of public participation in local government in order to adhere to the requirements of democracy and, as a result, to enhance and legitimise the system of intergovernmental relations
Combat organ trafficking – reward the donor or regulate sales
Get PDFThere is an acute shortage of transplantable human organs worldwide. The current systems of organ procurement cannot supply in the demand. A new approach is imperative. While countries struggle to find ways of motivating more people to become organ donors, the international illegal black market is thriving. A possible solution to the problem in South Africa might be to change current legislation by confirming human organ trafficking a specific crime as is the case in the United Kingdom. However, more available organs for transplantation in the current recognised system are also essential. To achieve this, it is proposed that donors should be rewarded more effectively, or a regulated market in human organs should be allowed
Atomism and holism in the understanding of society and social systems
Get PDFThroughout its history, reflection on human society has been torn apart by the opposing views of atomism and holism. Traditional societies, the city state of ancient Greece as well as the medieval perfect society apparently resemble a whole with its parts. Early modernity continued this holistic inclination for a while, but soon reverted to atomistic theories of the (hypothetical) social contract. Modern humanism dominated the subsequent views articulated in terms of the dialectical tension between nature and freedom (science ideal and personality ideal) – including mechanistic and vitalistic approaches as well as the more recent acknowledgment of irreducibly complex systems (Behe, 2003). In Wiener’s (1954; 1956) “technologicism” human responsibility and freedom are sacrificed. An alternative view is advanced in terms of the normativity of societal life as well as its many-sidedness. It is shown that theories of social systems increasingly tend to explore avenues transcending the limitations of the atomistic additive approach and the boundary-leveling whole-parts scheme entailed in social systems theory. This development is used as a starting point for the classification of social interaction and for underscoring the scope of the principle of sphere-sovereignty for a multidisciplinary understanding of social systems
The need to understand the emotions of anger, fear and guilt when counselling religious cult victims
Get PDFVictims of religious cults are systematically influenced by the beliefs, teachings and practices of the group to adopt the identity and personality befitting the religious cult. This cult identity and personality that is believed to be God-pleasing views the outside world as evil and a threat to the spiritual well-being of cult members. In order to maintain cult members in a state which is supposedly pure and free from contamination by the evil world, they are taught to cultivate an antagonistic and resistant attitude towards any doctrine or person contradicting the cult’s views. Any attempt by an “outsider” to communicate with cult members is prohibited. Any attempt to counsel cult members must be preceded by the establishment of a trust relationship that will overcome the resistance and open up communication. The counselling process that follows should address the emotional conditions of anger, false guilt and fear in order to restore the person’s self-worth and ability to adapt to the outside world. This article contends that addressing false guilt, anger and fear is an important and necessary phase in the process of helping cult members to recover and reintroducing them to the world
Performatiwiteit en die hedendaagse skool(hoof)
Get PDFPerformativity and the modern school (principal) Based on observations in the field of education management science, including the results of a recent empirical survey, we concluded that schools and their principals have become inundated with the demands for performativity, i.e. the demand to achieve in measurable terms as well as submit to the cult of efficiency and effectiveness. After briefly considering recent developments and changes in schools and in the work of school principals, we refer to the findings of the empirical survey. This is followed by a discussion of three key objections to performativity in schools and in the work of principals, namely the reductionism that it presupposes, its non-pedagogical tendencies and its negative effects on the school as a societal relationship. The discussion is conducted within a Christian-reformational frame of reference
Institutional statism: an overview of the formulation of the taxi recapitalisation policy
Get PDFThis article provides an overview of the government’s formulation of the taxi recapitalisation policy which is aimed at regulating the minibus taxi industry. Coupled with a brief social and politico-historical context of the policy, the aim is to highlight the government’s statist conduct in the formulation of the recapitalisation policy. The minibus taxi industry started to fulfil a prominent role in the 1970s as a result of a loophole in the legislation of the former apartheid government. It is currently the most accessible mode of public transport and conveys 65 per cent of the country’s commuters daily. Consequently, the Industry is an imperative force to be considered by the government in its formulation of transport policies. However, the industry is characterised by numerous problems, including a high rate of minibus taxis involved in accidents, unroadworthy vehicles and violence. It is in this context that the government formulated both the original and revised versions of the recapitalisation policy. However, the formulation of the policy has been problematic. The government followed a statist approach during the formulation process when it directed the course of the process according to its interests and without adequate consultation with relevant role players
Appraising the e-readiness of online learning facilitators: key human factors
Get PDFHigher education institutions in South Africa have undergone a number of changes over the past few years. These changes brought about inter alia changed work environments and job demands. One of the new job demands is the need to incorporate technology in teaching and learning, viz. e-learning. Not all job incumbents, however, adapted successfully to these changes, particularly with regard to e-readiness. Such a lack in e-readiness is likely to influence the effectiveness with which an academic employee will fulfil his/her online learning duties. Therefore, it is important to find solutions to overcome the lack of e-readiness. This article will focus on the role of human resource appraisal, in order to assess the e-readiness of online learning facilitators with a view to improving their online skills and capacity. A number of human factors that can play a role in employee performance and motivation, namely learning styles, personal profile patterns, and pace and style of technology adoption will be briefly outlined, in order to determine the role that these factors could play in assessing the e-readiness of online learning facilitators