While Reading Creation Regained last night, I ran across an interesting passage pertaining to the topic of theology and philosophy. I will reproduce that paragraph in full:
Law in this sense [as the totality of God's ordaining acts toward the cosmos], even when it is distinguished from the works of redemption, is very rich and variegated in its extension. It encompasses a great variety of things, phenomena, relations, and principles--in fact it encompasses the whole range of created reality. It is not our concern to catalogue these now (it is the job of philosophy to make an inventory of the variety), but there are two pairs of distinctions to be made within the broad category of law that must claim our attention immediately: the distinction between laws of nature and norms, and the distinction between general and particular laws.
--Creation Regained. p. 14.
The important point for my purposes here is the fact that it is the task of philosophy to inventory the variety of things that the term 'law,' or the idea of God's ordaining acts encompasses. What does this mean?
The context is a discussion on creation, what it is/was, and how it impacts our understanding of the world around us. In this smaller section, Dr. Wolters is discussing what term we should use when talking about God's acts of 'creation' throughout history--his maintaining and upholding work within the creation he formed in the beginning. These, then, are laws of God (laws of nature, norms for society, etc.). From this foundation, it is philosophy's task to consider and list all of the phenomena that these laws encompass. Philosophy, then, has to do with the world around us, and coming to terms with how it fits with what we know about other things (especially God and his work in this world). Philosophy, then, is a very foundational discipline (as is easily understood).
What about theology, though? Wolters here does not specifically discuss theology. But in a discussion of creation, theology must come in somehow.
As this work is an introduction into the philosophy of the Cosmonomic Idea (Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoeven), I think that I should look at my Dooyeweerd works, and see what they say about the relationship, if they do at all.
So, I will look at my books, and post what I find.
Oh, the works that I have are:
L. Kalsbeek, Contours of a Christian Philosophy: an Introduction to Herman Dooyeweerd's Thought.
J. Douma, Another Look at Dooyeweerd: Some Critical Notes Regarding the Philosophy of the Cosmonomic Idea.
Herman Dooyeweerd: Roots of Western Culture: Pagan, Secular, and Christian Options.
All of which, I just noticed, I received from friends and family. Kalsbeek was given to me by my friend Sarah, who picked it up cheap at a book sale, thinking I would be interested in it. Douma I received from the library of the late Rev. Vanderwel, sent to me by my Aunt and Uncle. Dooyeweerd himself I received from my younger brother, Piet, for some reason that I cannot remember.
Law in this sense [as the totality of God's ordaining acts toward the cosmos], even when it is distinguished from the works of redemption, is very rich and variegated in its extension. It encompasses a great variety of things, phenomena, relations, and principles--in fact it encompasses the whole range of created reality. It is not our concern to catalogue these now (it is the job of philosophy to make an inventory of the variety), but there are two pairs of distinctions to be made within the broad category of law that must claim our attention immediately: the distinction between laws of nature and norms, and the distinction between general and particular laws.
--Creation Regained. p. 14.
The important point for my purposes here is the fact that it is the task of philosophy to inventory the variety of things that the term 'law,' or the idea of God's ordaining acts encompasses. What does this mean?
The context is a discussion on creation, what it is/was, and how it impacts our understanding of the world around us. In this smaller section, Dr. Wolters is discussing what term we should use when talking about God's acts of 'creation' throughout history--his maintaining and upholding work within the creation he formed in the beginning. These, then, are laws of God (laws of nature, norms for society, etc.). From this foundation, it is philosophy's task to consider and list all of the phenomena that these laws encompass. Philosophy, then, has to do with the world around us, and coming to terms with how it fits with what we know about other things (especially God and his work in this world). Philosophy, then, is a very foundational discipline (as is easily understood).
What about theology, though? Wolters here does not specifically discuss theology. But in a discussion of creation, theology must come in somehow.
As this work is an introduction into the philosophy of the Cosmonomic Idea (Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoeven), I think that I should look at my Dooyeweerd works, and see what they say about the relationship, if they do at all.
So, I will look at my books, and post what I find.
Oh, the works that I have are:
L. Kalsbeek, Contours of a Christian Philosophy: an Introduction to Herman Dooyeweerd's Thought.
J. Douma, Another Look at Dooyeweerd: Some Critical Notes Regarding the Philosophy of the Cosmonomic Idea.
Herman Dooyeweerd: Roots of Western Culture: Pagan, Secular, and Christian Options.
All of which, I just noticed, I received from friends and family. Kalsbeek was given to me by my friend Sarah, who picked it up cheap at a book sale, thinking I would be interested in it. Douma I received from the library of the late Rev. Vanderwel, sent to me by my Aunt and Uncle. Dooyeweerd himself I received from my younger brother, Piet, for some reason that I cannot remember.
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