Dooyeweerd's theory of religious ground motives: a few implications for Christian philosophy and scholarship

Abstract

The first part of the article surveys the theory of "religious ground motives" elaborated by Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977), a Dutch Calvinist philosopher and founder of the philosophy of the cosmonomic idea. The main tenets of the theory are highlighted and a few articulations and amendments proposed by adherents to this philosophical school are discusses. The second part provides a few reflections on particular aspects or implications of this theory which I consider relevant for Christian scholarship. Themes like the nature of religion, the dangers of "synthesis" the dialogue between "rival" types of scholarship and the evaluation of alternative theories are explored.