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Man and his World

Courtesy of the Hultink Family Foundation, the Cántaro Institute is now the new home for the Reformational Digital Library (formerly known as the Reformational Publishing Project). All rights reserved.

Document: D.F.M. Strauss, Man and his World (Bloemfontein, South Africa: N.G. Sendingpers, 1991).

Excerpt: Although our school system and school curriculums only refer to philosophy here and there, philosophy is actually the mother-science from which all other sciences originated – including the subjects given at school. Normally, the matriculated scholar is only vaguely aware of thinkers from Greek philosophy – figures like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Some may be only aware of an anecdote about some philosopher – for instance the story about Socrates who had to drink the poison goblet because he would mislead the youth.

The way in which philosophy has remained the foundation and basis on which the different areas of science (also known as special-sciences) have continually flowed, will scarcely enjoy attention in school teaching. Yet, we can only truly obtain a complete perspective on school subjects like mathematics, physics, biology, history, geography, languages etc. when we view these different subject areas from a philosophical perspective. On the one hand it provides an historical illumination and on the other hand, through such a philosophical angle, we become capable of revealing the directing and determining ground problems of every subject area. Additionally, we develop a sense of the melting pot of spiritual tendencies which were not only functioning on the scientific scene in a particular cultural time, but also what coloured and leavened the society of a particular time.

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Man and His World – D.F.M. Strauss.pdf