THE CHRISTIAN AFRIKANERS - The Works of F. N. Lee

Nine: Afrikaner Thought in the Unsettling 'SeventiesIn this present lecture, we wish to deal with the consolidation of the Afrikaner's answer to thepresent cultural revolution especially during the last decade (1970 to 1980).Now a very interesting thinker with whom we could begin, is Dr. Piet Meyer. He is a very famouswriter -- and the Chairman of the nation-wide South African Broadcasting Association -- in chargeof all of the radio programming in South Africa. He is also a philosopher of national culture andexistentiality, and has written a number of very important books.Meyer wrote his first doctoral dissertation on the psychological phenomenon of attention. He alsowrote the definitive work on the Afrikaner -- from the culturological and the sociologicalviewpoint -- dealing with the Afrikaner's cultural roots and psychological behaviour and mores.Meyer has reflected deeply about existentialism -- especially in his work: Tussen Iets en Niks (aliasBetween Something and Nothing). It is largely a philosophical evaluation of Nietzsche andHeidegger and Sartre. Meyer also has a very interesting eschatological book called Nog Nie dieEinde Nie (alias Not Yet the End) -- in which he optimistically predicts that the twenty firstcentury, in spite of difficulties and threats from the outside world, will bring the Afrikaner to newheights that he has never before reached. Indeed, Meyer has also written massively on therelationship between economics and culture.Then there is the famous South African logician, Dr. N.T. van der Merwe of the University ofPotchefstroom. He has taken over and developed old Professor Los's book on Logic to the "nth"degree. Indeed he has produced a book on Christian Logic of some 700 pages -- a book which isvery highly esteemed at Dordt College in Iowa (in the United States). That book certainly needstranslating!Another famous young thinker, is Dr. Willem de Klerk -- sometime Professor of General Studies atthe University of Potchefstroom. His manual On General Studies -- entitled Studium UniversalE --is compulsory reading for all of the students at Potchefstroom University (regardless of whetherthey later want to specialise in physics, in art, in theology or whatever). The intent is to give allstudents a bird's eye view of the inter-connectedness of all disciplines telescopically -- before theyspecialise microscopically on a particular field for their own life-long career study. De Klerk alsowrote on the Afrikaner's answer to the present cultural revolution. He later left the University, andbecame Editor of a prestigious newspaper in the Transvaal. In that capacity he is still writing. Hehas also co-authored a three-volume modern work on the philosophical inter-connection of thevarious sciences.There are also a variety of other philosophers -- such as Professor Taljaard, Professor of Philosophyat the University of Potchefstroom and the successor to Hendrik Stoker (when he retired). Taljaardwrote a good book called Radical Thought. There he points to the radical and integral nature ofChristian philosophy -- in contradistinction to all other kinds of philosophy. He also wrote animportant work on Christianity in a Changing World.Another important thinker from Potchefstroom, is Professor Bennie van der Walt. He has writtenmuch in the field of Epistemology -- and also in the field of Medieval Philosophy. He previouslytaught the history of philosophy at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa. He has just comeout with an anthology called The Anatomy of Reformation -- scheduled for release in January 1981.He was also appointed the Director of the Institute for Calvinist Scholarship and the Institute for thePromotion of Calvinism at Potchefstroom.