Ch 1 §1 The religious antithesis pp 7-15

summary

In this section Dooyeweerd distinguishes between the theoretical and the religious antithesis and between the theoretical and the religious dialectic. He sets the stage for a fuller discussion of the four religious ground motives (RGM).

the theoretical antithesis
Antithesis means ‘opposition’; it was later given a particular meaning in philosophy – particularly Hegelian philosophy.

the religious antithesis
However, in Christian thought the antithesis ‘pertains to the relation between the creature and his Creator’. It does not allow a higher synthesis – Christian and non-Christian starting points cannot be synthesised.
Philosophy needs a starting point which it derives from religion. Theoretical thought does not contain its own absolute starting point. The absolute is found only in religion. To find the true meaning of antithesis and to find the source of differences of opinion the religious ground motives of western civilization need to be considered. Every religion has a ground motive – a spiritual force that acts as the absolute central mainspring of society.
A groundmotive:

• is a spiritual force
• acts as the absolute cultural mainspring of society
• governs all of life’s expressions from the religious centre of life and directs them to a true or supposed origins of existence
• places an indelible stamp on the whole of culture and society
• has a spirit that is either the Spirit of God or that of an idol
• is a communal motive
• can never be the object for a special science
• can never be penetrated to their spiritual root by scientific analysis
• provides the point of departure for science – hence science can never be neutral with respect to religion.

the rgm of western culture
RGMs acquire their influence via cultural powers, such as the city-state (polis) of Greece, the Roman commonwealth (res publica) and later the emperor (sacrum imperium) of Rome, Christianity and modern humanism. In the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic (RC) church secured the role of leadership – all spheres in life were placed under the dominion of the church.
In the fifteenth century the Renaissance bought the church’s downfall. This led to the emergence of humanism. At the same time the Reformation challenged the RC’s powers. The RC church and the Reformation were driven back by humanism. In the Enlightenment humanism broke away from faith and pushed the church into a defensive mode for around three centuries. At the end of the nineteenth centurydecay entered into the humanistic world view – Marxism, Darwinism and Nietzsche’s superman pushed humanism into the defensive. World War I (WWI) accelerated the demise of optimistic humanism. The rise of fascism and Nazism was broken by WWII. Today spiritual confusion is everywhere.

the religious dialectic
Four RGMs have clashed. Three are dualistic with polar opposites that cannot be synthesied; they bear the seed of a religious dialectic.
Theoretcial antithesis is relative, it attempts to think through a logical opposition to its synthesis. Whereas a religious antithesis is absolute and cannot be synthesied. A religious dialectic is established by revelation founded in God’s word. The biblical GM is creation, fall and redemption. It is not a doctrine that can be uncovered by theology – one of the special sciences.
Idolatry deifies what is created, it absolutises an aspect of creation. Idolatry draws the human heart away from God.
A religious dialectic occurs when a RGM deifies a part of creation – a polar tension between the two extremes is set up. This breaks apart the GM, each of its motives claims absoluteness. It is impossible to synthesise them.
Another religious dialectic occurs when attempts are made to synthesis a Christian and another GM.
A closing warning: this is not merely a theoretical exercise.

review questions
1. What are the four religious ground motives?
2. What are the leading powers in the different ground motives?
3. What does Dooyewerd mean by an absolutisation?
4. What is a pseudosynthesis?
5. What is the difference between a theoretical and a religious antithesis?
6. What is the difference between a theoretical and a religious dialectic?

Study questions
1. Compare and contrast culture, world view, religious ground motives and religion.

Introduction (pp 1-6)

This introduction (pp 1-6) sets the scene for the rest of the book.  The Dutch National Movement’s manifesto although sincere and earnest represented an attempt to synthesise Christian and Marxist ideas.  It rejected the antithesis between Christian and humanistic views of life.

Dooyeweerd seeks to defend this Christian antithesis.  One way he rejects is to place the burden of proof on the Dutch National Movement to prove that the antithesis is not a fruitful foundation to build upon.  The best way is to show that the antithesis has been and is a vital force.

Dooyeweerd makes some introductory remarks about the antithesis:
•    It is not the idea of men – not even Groen van Prinsterer or Abraham Kuyper
•    It is all-pervading – it cuts through Christian life itself
•    It is not a dividing line between Christian and non-Christian.

Dooyeweerd will look at the principle of the antithesis and seek to examine if this principle is still relevant.
He then looks at the difference between genuine and superficial dialogue.  It is not the case that genuine dialogue is only open to those with academic training.  Genuine dialogue is open to all those who are prepared to penetrate to the root differences.

review questions
1. What is ‘personalistic socialism’?
2. Why does Dooyeweerd reject the ‘shift the burden of proof’ approach?
3. What is the ‘antithesis’?
4. How does genuine dialogue differ from superficial dialogue?

discussion questions
1. Is the antithesis a fruitful principle today?
2. What threats are there today to the antithesis?

The different versions

Pdf version are available at the following links:

• Renewal and Reformation 1970 edn [7 MB]
• Wedge 1979 version [11 MB]
• Mellen 2003 version

Roots originally started life as a series of newspaper articles in a weekly Dutch paper that Dooyeweerd edited, Nieuw Nederland.  There were originally 58 articles that appeared between August 1945 and May 1948.  These articles formed the basis of a book, Vernieuwing en bezinning om het reformatisch goundmotief (Renewal and Reflection concerning the Reformational Ground Motive), edited by J. A. Oosterhoff, published by J. B. van den Brink in 1959.  The Dutch edition also included 18 other articles by Dooyeweerd published in the newspaper. This was translated by John Kraay c. 1970 and made available as mimeograph. 

The first published English edition appeared in 1979 under the title: Roots of Western Culture: Pagan, Secular, and Christian Options.  This edition was translated by John Kraay and edited by Mark Vander Vennen and Bernard Zylstra and published by Wedge Publishing, Toronto.  The basis for the book was an in-house translation prepared by members of the Groen van Prinsterer Society under the direction of H. Evan Runner.  Runner had decided to limit the translation to the treatment of ground motives and the other 18 articles were omitted from this translation.

In 2003 a newly edited version appeared, edited by D[anie]. F. M. Strauss, as Series B, Volume 3 in The Collected Works of Herman Dooyeweerd  and published by Edwin Mellen [ISBN 0 7734 8715 8].  This edition also included a translation of Dooyeweerd’s preface to the 1959 Oosterhoff edition. 

The Oosterhof edition had only three chapters.  The table below shows how these relate to those of the 1979 edition:

Oosterhof	1979
1. Antithesis	Introduction  1. Roots of Western Culture  2. Sphere Sovereignty  3. History, Historicism, and Norms  4. Faith and Culture
2. Reformation and Accommodation	5. The Great Synthesis
3. Reformation and Humanism	6. Classical Humanism  7. Romantic Redirection  8. The Rise of Social Thought

Introduction

Welcome to a study guide for Herman Dooyeweerd’s Roots of Western Culture.  It is a working document. If any one has any comments, criticism or suggestions please feel free to make them!

This study guide was originally available here.

Historical background to the book

Roots was originally a series of newspaper articles.
Dooyeweerd became the editor of the newspaper the Nieuw Nederland just after the end of the Second World War in August 1944.
The war had hit The Netherlands hard – the Nazis invaded in May 1940. The resistance movement was strong there.  Dissent against the Nazis meant that each person had to trust one’s life to the next resistance fighter – this brought about a spirit of of unity and trust. Christians and Marxists were co-belligerents against a common enemy.
The Dutch National Movement (Nederlandse Volksbeweging) hoped to build upon this unity and hope and so issued a manifesto in May 1945.  Many including Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962; she reigned from 1890 until her abdication in 1948) were supportive of this and it was hoped that the next elections in 1946 would see a new ideal in politics.
Dooyeweerd, however saw that the principle of pluriform democracy was at risk.  Dooyeweerd hoped to raise people’s awareness of these issues in these articles and the importance of the antithesis in particular.


Advert for the Wedge version of Roots taken from The Reformed Journal April 1980: