VORMEN VAN GODSDIENSTFILOSOFIE

Abstract

SUMMARY Between 1971 and 1977 five books appeared in the Netherlands, all of them relating, directly or indirectly, to the philosophy of religion. Their authors were all professors of philosophy at Dutch universities. Acquaintance with these five publications can thus give an insight into current work in philosophy of religion at Dutch universities. This article does not give a complete summary of the individual books, but attempts to present the philosophical aims of their separate authors: what do they include under the title ‘philosophy (of religion)’, why do they practise it, and how much progress do they make? The works are as follows: H. Hubbeling: Denkend geloven [Thinking faith], 1976, presents philosophy of religion as a logical reconstruction of religious statements, a reformulation of religious propositions, and wherever possible argued support for them, with the help of modern logic. It remains unclear whether Hubbeling leaves room for the possibility of varieties of philosophy of religion other than logical reconstructions. H. Heering. Inleiding tot de godsdienstwijsbegeerte [Introduction to philosophy of religion] 1976, practises philosophy of religion as (phenomenological) analysis of the meaning of religious phenomena. In practice this is restricted to a comparison of the motives of present-day philosophy and Christian belief. He does not himself consider the extent to which he thinks philosophy of religion must deal with a search for truth, apparently because he holds a very restrictive view of the validity of human reason in matters relating to God. V. Brümmer; Wijsgerige begripsanalyse [The philosophical analysis of concepts], 1975, deals, in the style of John Austin, with a number of concepts of fundamental importance for theology and philosophy of religion. My commentary concentrates first and foremost on Brümmer's theory of truth and knowledge, and concludes that here philosophy is practised as an ‘impressionistic empiricism’. Herman Berger: Zo wijd als alle werkelijkheid [As broad as all being], 1977, aims at the rehabilitation of metaphysics, both for its own sake and for the sake of philosophical theology. In the process he emphasizes an ontology of individuality: man as (finite) spirit, God as guaranteeing the infinity of man. My commentary emphasizes that this metaphysics necessarily remains abstract, by reason of the fact that it remains within the limits of a subjective idealism. Ad Peperzak: Verlangen [Desire], 1971, aims quite express at a hermeneutic of the Christian experience of the way to God; at the same time he wishes to formulate insights of general philosophical significance. My commentary shows how in this project a speculative theory of truth is made use of, having its source in idealism. As an analysis of one kind—and not of the sole kind—of Christian experience, this book has a limited but real value. In conclusion it is stated that each of these five philosophical productions reveals an internal lacuna by virtue of its failure to give that rational reconstruction, both of religion and philosophy of religion, which is to be found in the critique of ideologies.