At the University of Pretoria, Historical Theology consists of various sub-disciplines, that is, History of Christianity, History of Doctrine, History of Theology, History of Missions, Church History, and Church Polity. This article is located in History of Missions, as a contribution to the centenary celebration of the Maranatha Reformed Church of Christ (MRCC). The main focus of this contribution is an analysis of Prof. P.S. Dreyer’s mission theology as reflected in his publications, and how it shaped the mission policy (...) of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (NHKA) and the growth of the MRCC. For 35 years (1954–1989), Prof. Dreyer was a member and chairman of the Mission Board of the NHKA. As part-time Superintendent of Mission and chairman of the Board, he not only had many administrative and financial responsibilities, but he also played a role in the establishment of at least 60 congregations in black communities, as well as the theological education of more than 200 MRCC students and ministers. All of this was based on a clear understanding of the nature of the church, as well as the responsibility and calling of the church to proclaim Jesus Christ to all people. Contribution: This article addressed the role of theology and individual theologians in the history of the church and mission in South Africa, and how it impacted upon the relationship between different race groups and the development of an indigenous Christianity. (shrink)

This contribution is located in the field of Historical Theology. It gives an overview (post-World War II) of the philosophical-theological discourse on technology and humanity, articulated by academics who were members and ordained ministers of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (NHKA). It serves to illustrate the close relationship between theology and philosophy within the theological tradition of the NHKA. The author concludes that there is a growing realisation that it is not primarily about technology anymore, but about humanity. In (...) theology, there is a fundamental concern for the well-being of humanity. Theologians would forsake their responsibility if they would stay quiet on something, which is not only transforming our world view and morality, but humanity itself.Contribution: The current discourse on technology tends to be dominated by economists, engineers, information technology specialists, jurists and medical specialists. As a result, technology takes the centre stage, emphasising the benefits of technological progress. Because of the radical impact of technology on humanity, disciplines such as history, philosophy, sociology, psychology and theology are becoming increasingly important discussion partners. (shrink)

_Genetic Transparency?_ tackles the question of who has, or should have access to personal genomic information. Genomics experts and scholars from the humanities and social sciences discuss the changes in interpersonal relationships, human self-understandings, ethics, law, and the health systems.

Ausgangspunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die sinnliche Rezeption der Musik des Tango Argentino und das Erforschen ihrer möglichen Wirkweise. Diese Musik, so die Hypothese, löst melancholische Gefühle aus und eröffnet damit einen Spielraum, gleich einem haltgebend-tröstenden Beziehungsangebot, das dem Verlustgeschehen etwas entgegenzusetzen vermag. Nach einem kurzen allgemeinen Abriss über Psychoanalyse und Musik wird zunächst auf die Entstehungsgeschichte des Tangos und die Prosa einzelner Tangolieder eingegangen. Darauf folgt die genauere Untersuchung der Musik hinsichtlich der gestellten Ausgangshypothese. Dabei seien es vor allem (...) drei Merkmale, die dem Tango Argentino seinen identitätsstiftenden Charakter verleihen: (1) der charakteristische Rhythmus, (2) das dialoghafte Spiel mit Kontrasten und (3) der spezifische Klang des Tangos. Insbesondere das Bandoneon spiele im Wechselspiel von melancholischem Verlust und haltgebender Objektbeziehung eine zentrale Rolle. (shrink)

This article is an exercise in Practical Ecclesiology. The author reflects on church, mission and ethics from historical, hermeneutical and strategic perspectives. Using the ecclesiology of Karl Barth as a point of departure, the author argues that the church needs to be church if it wants to be a credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Integrity is essential if a church wants to be missional. Integrity means the church has to become what it already is, the body of (...) Christ. This contribution is dedicated to Prof Graham Duncan, professor emeritus of church history, a man of integrity and dedicated to the missional calling of the church. (shrink)

Dreyer Kruger, now in his eighties, was asked to reflect on the years of his active professional experience, especially while at Rhodes University from 1974 to 1989. Considered by many to be the doyen of phenomenological psychology in South Africa, he introduced what, at that time, was a revolutionary view in the social sciences of understanding what it means to be human.During his tenure as an academic psychologist, a cohort of doctoral level phenomenologically-oriented psychologists emerged, many of whom emigrated (...) from South Africa during its apartheid era to take up high-raking positions elsewhere in the academic arena in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand, while those remaining in South Africa continued his legacy of promoting phenomenology as a field of interrogation in the social and human sciences. (shrink)

A theory of reasoned knowledge is presented by developing and demonstrating the methodology of a novel skeptical critique designed to extend the epistemological practice of belief justification to an epistemological practice of reason justification. Analyses of the reasoning found in the theorizations of certain seminal philosophers and leading scientists will reveal how the absence of the epistemic justification of reason defaults to the use of an unjustified form of reason that runs the play of an unrecognized and unchecked dialectic between (...) epistemology and science. An alternative form of reason will be logically outlined and tested against the formalized skeptical critique in order for the newly recognized dialectic to be checked over reason with provisional epistemic justification. Zeno’s paradox and Green’s and Sellars’ critique of givenness are employed as argument functionaries of the reasoned knowledge theory. (shrink)

Men often make riskier decisions than women across a wide range of real-life behaviors. Whether this sex difference is accentuated, diminished, or stable under stressful conditions is, however, contested in the scientific literature. A critical blind spot lies amid this contestation: Most studies use standardized, laboratory-based, cognitive measures of decision making rather than complex real-life social simulation tasks to assess risk-related behavior. To address this blind spot, we investigated the effects of acute psychosocial stress on risk decision making in men (...) and women using a standardized cognitive measure and a novel task that simulated a real-life social situation. Participants were exposed to either an acute psychosocial stressor or an equivalent control condition. Stressor-exposed participants were further characterized as high- or low-cortisol responders. Results confirmed that the experimental manipulation was effective. On the IGT, participants characterized as low-cortisol responders made significantly riskier decisions than those characterized as high-cortisol responders. Similarly, in the online chatroom, participants characterized as low-cortisol responders were, relative to those in the Non-Stress group, significantly more likely to make risky decisions. Together, these results suggest that at lower levels of cortisol both men and women tend to make riskier decisions in both economic and social spheres. (shrink)

‘What is justification?’-Constructivism of Erlangen/Constanceschool as an example for problems resulting from priority of pragmatics to semantics. - R. Brandom's ‘Making it explicit’ is an attempt to work out how semantics is rooted in pragmatics: meaning in use and conceptual content in social functional roles. A philosophy that also focuses on reconstructing those norms that are implicit in pragmatics and constitutive to semanticsis developed by Constructivism of Erlangen/Constance school. This enquiry tries to work out that a discussion of constructivism might (...) be useful for a comprehension of Brandom's ‘theory of expression’, because both philosophical positions meet themselves in a pragmatic way of justification that makes it impossible to justify claims to all rational beings but only to members of those communities that share the same interests and institutions. (shrink)

In this much-anticipated work, distinguished authors Mary Beth Ingham and Mechthild Dreyer present an accessible introduction to the philosophy of the thirteenth century Franciscan John Duns Scotus.

Drawing on previous empirical research, we provide an exemplary narrative to illustrate how patients have experienced hospital care organized according to evidence‐based fast‐track programmes. The aim of this paper was to analyse and discuss if and how it is possible to include patients’ individual perspectives in an evidence‐based practice as seen from the point of view of nursing theory. The paper highlights two conflicting courses of development. One is a course of standardization founded on evidence‐based recommendations, which specify a set (...) of rules that the patient must follow rigorously. The other is a course of democratization based on patients’ involvement in care. Referring to the analysis of the narrative, we argue that, in the current implementation of evidence‐based practice, the proposed involvement of patients resembles empty rhetoric. We argue that the principles and values from evidence‐based medicine are being lost in the transformation into the current evidence‐based hospital culture which potentially leads to a McDonaldization of nursing practice reflected as ‘one best way’. We argue for reviving ethics of care perspectives in today's evidence practice as the fundamental values of nursing may potentially bridge conflicts between evidence‐based practice and the ideals of patient participation thus preventing a practice of ‘McNursing’. (shrink)

‘Was ist Wahrheit?’ — diese Frage des Pilatus bezeichnet eines der Grundprobleme menschlicher Existenz. Anders als das Tier ist der Mensch genötigt, sein Leben zu führen. Angesichts der Unwägbarkeiten, die seine Lebensführung bedrohen, hat er ein vitales Interesse daran, seinem Leben Sicherheit und Zuverlässigkeit zu geben, Gewissheiten zu finden, auf die er bauen kann. Das, was ihm bei seiner Suche nach Sicherheiten als fest und verbindlich aufscheint, das, was ihm Orientierung gibt, pflegt er mit dem Wort ‘wahr’ zu bezeichnen.

One Introduction The student who tries to define Edmund Burke's political theory attempts something that Burke refused to do himself. ...

Dancing with Iris engages with Iris Marion Young's prolific writings in political theory and in phenomenology. Contributors discuss her work from a variety of disciplines, including philosophy, political science, human rights law, cultural geography and dance studies.

Hugo Preuß war nicht nur einer der wichtigsten theoretischen Vordenker der modernen Demokratie in Deutschland, sondern war als Politiker auch wesentlich an der Verfassunggebung der Weimarer Republik beteiligt. Als Staatsrechtler entwickelte Preuß die demokratische Genossenschaftstheorie und zählt damit zu den Begründern des Pluralismus in Deutschland. Zudem war Preuß als politischer Publizist aktiv im Kampf für die Demokratisierung des Kaiserreiches und ergriff nach 1919 zur Verteidigung der Republik und zur Abwehr des Antisemitismus die Feder. Preuß war damit ein früher Verfechter des (...) Konzepts der wehrhaften Demokratie gegen die vor allem rechten Feinde der Weimarer Republik. Als liberaler Politiker wurde Preuß in der Berliner Kommunalpolitik ein Exponent sozialliberaler Ideen. 1918 war er Mitbegründer der Deutschen Demokratischen Partei und zeichnete als erster Reichsinnenminister der Weimarer Republik für die Wahlen zur Nationalversammlung und für den Prozeß der Verfassunggebung verantwortlich, den er vom ersten Entwurf der Verfassung bis zur Verabschiedung begleitete. Bis zu seinem Tod gehörte er dem Landtag Preußens an, wo er in der DDP für die Weimarer Koalition eintrat. (shrink)

'Marginalia' are notes made in the margins of a book. It could be general comments, glosses or scholia. For centuries marginalia was considered an important scholarly activity, almost as important as the original text. The famous marginalia on the text of Homer's Iliad dates back to the 5th century before Christ. Some of the most important theologians in history kept themselves busy by adding marginalia to texts. Luther's marginalia on the text of Paul's Letter to the Romans is a good (...) example of this type of scholarly endeavour. Writing about the life and work of a fellow theologian could at best be a few marginal notes - sometimes it is a mere scribble, sometimes an interpretation of a text and sometimes commentary is necessary. This contribution reflects on the life and work of I.W.C. van Wyk, a theologian who dedicated his life to the church, mission and reformed theology. (shrink)

Ubuntu is a dynamic and celebrated concept in Africa. In the great Sutu-nguni family of Southern Africa, being humane is regarded as the supreme virtue. The essence of this philosophy of life, called ubuntu or botho, is human relatedness and dignity. The Shona from Zimbabwe articulate it as: "I am because we are; I exist because the community exists." This volume offers twenty-two such reflections on practicing ubuntu as it relates to justice, personhood and human dignity both in Southern African (...) as well as in wider international contexts. This work highlights the potential of ubuntu for enriching our understanding of justice, personhood and human dignity in a globalising world. -- publisher's description. (shrink)

Based on increased user experience during stimulation, frequency-modulated steady-state visual evoked potentials have been suggested as an improved stimulation method for brain-computer interfaces. Adapting such a novel stimulation paradigm requires in-depth analyses of all different stimulation parameters and their influence on brain responses as well as the user experience during the stimulation. In the current manuscript, we assess the influence of different values for the modulation index, which determine the spectral distribution in the stimulation signal on FM-SSVEPs. We visually stimulated (...) 14 participants at different target frequencies with four different values for the modulation index. Our results reveal that changing the modulation index in a way that elevates the stimulation power in the targeted sideband leads to increased FM-SSVEP responses. There is, however, a tradeoff with user experience as increased modulation indices also lead to increased perceived flicker intensity as well as decreased stimulation comfort in our participants. Our results can guide the choice of parameters in future FM-SSVEP implementations. (shrink)

A.S. Geyser was professor of New Testament at the University of Pretoria from 1946 to 1961, when he accepted an appointment at the University of the Witwatersrand. He was one of the most active and outspoken critics of apartheid and played a leading role in the establishment of the Christian Institute and the appointment of Beyers Naude as the first director of the Institute. However, Geyser received very little attention either in church history or in the history of South Africa. (...) This contribution, presented as the Third A.S. Geyser Commemorative Lecture at the University of Pretoria, reflects on Geyser’s ecclesiology. It is quite remarkable that Geyser chose ecclesiology as point of entry into the discourse on apartheid. He engaged in fundamental theological criticism of segregation in church and state based on his understanding of the unity of the church in Christ and a humanity unified under the kingship of Christ. (shrink)