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Document: Herman Dooyeweerd, The Theory of Man: Thirty-Two Propositions on Anthropology (n.d.).
Excerpt: In the development of Western thought, anthropological conceptions have been dominated by four religious ground‐motives, which have shaped the entire development of the West. These four ground motives are: 1) the Greek form‐matter motive; 2) The Scriptural ground motive of the Christian religion: creation, fall and redemption through Jesus Christ; 3) the Romanistic (R.C.) synthesis motive of nature and grace and 4) the modern‐Humanistic motive of nature and freedom (this motive includes the natural‐scientific determination ideal and the personality ideal of free autonomous self‐determination). The form‐matter motive (theme) as well as the nature‐grace motive and the nature‐freedom motive are internally dialectic. That is, they are torn by and internal dualism which drives this thought to its polar (and therefore opposite) directions. The reason for this polar dualism can be found in an internal fragmentation in the idea of the Origin of all things caused by an apostate direction of this Origin idea. Where self-knowledge is completely divorced from knowledge concerning God, the anthropological conceptions, orientated to this dualistic Origin idea must necessarily manifest the same dualistic polar stamp. And they do. This polarity is expressed in the conception of “soul” and “body”, and their mutual relation.
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The Theory of Man – H. Dooyeweerd.pdf