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

Coming now to the last stage in the development of South African Christian Afrikaner thought, wedeal with the elaboration of the philosophies of the various special sciences. More or less followingthe order of the Dooyeweerdian modal spheres from the numerical through the pistical, we canenumerate the following thinkers.First of all, there are Christian mathematicians in South Africa like Professor D.J. van Rooy, A.J.van Rooy and Heidema. These men are always writing articles on the philosophy of mathematicsfrom a Christian perspective -- generally of a theoretical but sometimes of an empirical or apractical nature.Then, in the realm of the physical sciences, we have men like Dr. van der Berg of PotchefstroomUniversity. He is a very interesting figure, and constantly approaches and re- evaluates physics andthe history of physics and the interrelationship between physics and the non-physical sciences(generally from a Dooyeweerdian perspective). Also, there is Dr. Schutte of the University of PortElizabeth. And then there are also Christian biologists such as Dr. Eloff, the Christian zoologist,who has written much in the area of the classification of animals. Above all, perhaps, there is theinternationally known Professor Duyvene De Wit.Now De Wit was a very famous biologist (who recently died). He was acclaimed internationally forrefuting the theory of evolutionism as developed by the Russian biologist Oparin. Headquartered atthe Orange Free State University in Bloemfontein whose chair of biology he filled, part of hisrefutation consisted of experimenting with tropical fish from Indonesia which he imported fromjust north of Australia.I forget the details of the experiment. But as my memory serves me, I believe it was that the femaleof this species of fish would lay eggs into the mouth of the male fish. And it was only inside themale's mouth that the temperature and the degree of saltiness (etc.) were exactly correct to incubatethe eggs at least for a time (in order to promote their hatching).After the eggs had been deposited by the female in the mouth of the male fish for a while, thefemale fish would then scoop out a little hole in the bottom of the ocean. Then the male wouldcome along and deposit the eggs out of his mouth into the hole, and the female would cover up thehole again (with sand).De Wit, by means of experimental biology, was able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of allreasonable men that there is no way this very complicated system of reproduction and fructificationof the eggs of this particular fish could ever have evolved by blind chance. And so this played amajor role in the ongoing refutation of evolutionism.Well, Dooyeweerd told me personally, when I visited him in his home in Holland, that when DeWit heard about the death of Dooyeweerd's wife, he bought an airplane ticket and flew all the wayfrom Bloemfontein to Amsterdam (about a thirteen-hour journey). De Wit then prayed withDooyeweerd, before getting back onto a plane and flying back another thirteen hours so as to beback at his classes (and with his fish) at the University of the Orange Free State. This long trip ofDe Wit, just to console Dooyeweerd, made a lasting impression on him when he was in mourningfor his wife.Unfortunately, De Wit died before he had finished the experiment with the fishes -- and theUniversity of the Orange Free State really did not know quite what to do with these tanks full oftropical fish from Indonesia which De Wit left behind him! Anyway, he did manage to finalisesome of his research on them and get some of it down in writing -- before the Lord took him to