Introduction to Dooyeweerd's Roots of Western Culture

As a way of exploring Christian philosophy I am trying to encourage people to read through Dooyeweerd’s call for Christian reflection and renewal in post war Netherlands. To help I have produced a brief explanation of the background to Dooyeweerd’s Roots of Western Culture and a summary of the introduction.

The book is available as a free pdf here. It can be bought as an inexpensive paperback here.

Invitation to explore Christian philosophy

These strange times perhaps give some of us an opportunity to pause and reflect on a number of the deeper questions of life. What does it mean to be human? What kind of world do we live in? How should we think about our role and responsibilities in a complex society? How should we think about each other with our different and sometimes conflicting views? Where does our motivation come from and where are we heading?

I would like to offer a very small contribution to this opportunity by inviting people to join me in an exploration of a Christian philosophy I believe has important resources for answering these questions. This philosophical perspective is worth your time because it has roots in a very concrete sense of our living Coram Deo and is developed with a focus on our tasks in the world God has made.

I suggest two options for the focus of this exploration:

Option One: A read through and discussion of Roots of Western Culture: Pagan, Secular, and Christian Options by Herman Dooyeweerd (available as a free pdf or in paperback). In the aftermath of the Second World War Dooyeweerd took up the position of editor of a new weekly paper and argued that the spiritual crisis brought about by the two world wars demanded a deep reflection on the spiritual roots of western culture. He wrote as a philosopher, but for a popular audience. He needed to address the genuine and authentic call for solidarity that was being made to the Dutch nation, while also upholding the integrity of the Christian contribution to cultural renewal. We would probably just focus on the first four chapters.

Option Two: A read through and discussion of my own, partially completed, introduction to the main ideas of the reformational philosophy that Dooyeweerd and his brother-in-law Dirk Vollenhoven pioneered and which has been developed and applied by many others since.

Let me know if you are interested and which option you prefer.