Robert D. Knudsen's Calvinistic Philosophy lectures (Disk 4)

This is a continuation of the class lectures on Calvinistic Philosophy given by Robert D. Knudsen at Westminster Theological Seminary.  As before, the information in the audio recordings have not been validated for accuracy (use at your own risk).
 

Kuyper: The Heart of Man, part 2, Bavinck, part 1 (disk 4)

It is the task of the Christian to track down the Christian principles for the various spheres, then by ones own personal commitment and devotion to the Christian cause to bring every sphere of life into subjection to the service of God.

Kuypers political activity was animated by the consuming desire that the people of Holland (the Netherlands) should live by the divine ordinances.

In every sphere then should be realized the idea that all things are of God, through God and to God and that then should be realized in every sphere.

Outstanding points of Kuypers position:

1.     Science is dependent upon philosophical considerations.  Kuypers view of philosophy was that it gives a synopsis of the sciences.  It does not simply give us a catalog of the results of the sciences but it gives us a total view.

2.     If one is going to attain a view of totality he must have an Archimedean point.  Sin affects the scientific endeavor here and we have then to observe that affect and seek to remedy it.

3.     A non-Christian philosophy cannot obtain a true transcendent standpoint in which it will be elevated above the cosmos and see it in its totality.

4.     Kuyper held that philosophy was not the handmaid of theology.  Philosophy is to have an independent position.  Philosophy is not to develop a doctrine of God and theology limits itself to the Word revelation of God.

5.     Kuyper developed the idea of Faith as a function.  You have in every person faith and that becomes a quality of everyone’s life that he has a firm assurance of something.  Faith as it answers to its true nature is dependent upon the revelation of God.  Faith in the false direction attempts to suppress the revelation of God.

6.     Thought is a function as well.  Thought for Kuyper is ruled by faith.  It is embedded in the cosmic order, it is part of that order and is subject to that order.  The subject of knowledge is a community of minds, it is not an abstract, transcendental “I think.”  We should not abstract from the thinking subject or God.

7.     There is no elevation of logic to be the judge.  Logic in the wider sense of Epistemology it is not neutral.  In the narrower sense of Epistemology (ordering of thinking) it is.

Herman Bavinck (1854 – 1921)

According to William Young, Bavinck sought to find a position between Rationalism and Empiricism.  Idealism (Included under Rationalism) held that being is of the nature of idea, thinking is the source of knowledge.  This is a pattern that is criticized by the WdW.  Bavinck held that Idealism confuses the instrument of knowledge with the source of knowledge.

Idealistic positions (according to Bavinck):

Plato’s forms (Knudsen talks here about Plato’s forms, I am not including it here because it can be found other places).

Kant the mind gives unity to experience.

Bavinck said that the dualistic/idealistic positions were untenable and one always tended always tended to an identity of thinking and being (dualism).

Bavinck was also critical of monistic position:

Spinoza (God or Nature)

Hegel (everything is of the nature of idea)

Empiricism on the other hand, held there is something not of the nature of idea.  Being is not identical with mind.  Empiricist would insist that we not minimize perception because it is the source of the material of our knowledge.  Man is dependent on our senses and nature.

Bavinck – Man’s mind is not the source of truth but it is an instrument.  It is man who is active in his knowing.  There is an a priori element in every science.  Science is interested in the universal and necessary.  It cannot be restricted to the domain of the exact sciences but needs something that goes beyond, in science there must be a philosophical element.  Furthermore, it is impossible to deal with the more important matters in an exact fashion.

Now Bavinck was quite sure that there was no knowledge apart from sense experience.  He followed Thomas Aquinas, Augustine as saying that there is mediate certainty of the reality of the external world and we have a mediate certainty.  There is no need of proving that there is an external world.  Yet, in this situation, mind makes its contribution in that the mind is active in this realization.

Bavinck held to a Moderate Realism.

Bavink’s Epistemology requires that the forms be in reality and our mind extracts them from reality.  According to the Logos places the forms in reality and then the mind abstracts the form.