Vraagt onze samenleving om een nieuwe politieke formule, om met Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) te spreken? Op het eerste gezicht niet. De democratie is stevig verankerd in de Grondwet en verdragen en is ingebed in de rechtsstaat, en zowel democratie als rechtsstaat maken deel uit van ons collectieve bewustzijn. Toch is er wat aan de hand in de verhouding tussen overheid, samenleving en individu, zoals de inmiddels structurele onvrede met het publieke domein laat zien. Dat vraagt om een richtinggevende (...) doordenking van de vooronderstellingen van ons democratisch bestel en de fundamenten waarop het berust. Dat is wat dit boek zich ten doel stelt. Het biedt toekomstgerichte ideeën voor ons publieke domein aan de hand van kernbegrippen als legitimiteit, staat, politiek, instituties, identiteit, burgerschap, kerk en theologie. Het gedachtegoed van Tocqueville, die geldt als een van de grootste en meest interessante denkers over de moderne democratie, de democratische samenleving en de democratische mens, vormt daarvoor de inspiratiebron. (shrink)

How can the world's religious traditions debate within the public sphere? In this book Nicholas Adams shows the importance of Habermas' approaches to this question. The full range of Habermas' work is considered, with detailed commentary on the more difficult texts. Adams energetically rebuts some of Habermas' arguments, particularly those which postulate the irrationality or stability of religious thought. Members of different religious traditions need to understand their own ethical positions as part of a process of development involving ongoing disagreements, (...) rather than a stable unchanging morality. Public debate additionally requires learning each other's patterns of disagreement. Adams argues that rather than suspending their deep reasoning to facilitate debate, as Habermas suggests, religious traditions must make their reasoning public, and that 'scriptural reasoning' is a possible model for this. Habermas overestimates the stability of religious traditions. This book offers a more realistic assessment of the difficulties and opportunities they face. (shrink)

In Western thought, it has been persistently assumed that in moral and political matters, people should rely on the inner voice of conscience rather than on external authorities, laws, and regulations. This volume investigates this concept, examining the development of the Western politics of conscience, from Socrates to the present, and the formation of the Western ethico-political subject. The work opens with a discussion of the ambiguous role of conscience in politics, contesting the claim that it is the best defense (...) against totalitarianism. It then look back at canonical authors, from the Church Fathers and Luther to Rousseau and Derrida, to show how the experience of conscience constitutes the foundation of Western ethics and politics. This unique work not only synthesizes philosophical and political insights, but also pays attention to political theology to provide a compelling and innovative argument that the experience of conscience has always been at the core of the political Western tradition. An engaging and accessible text, it will appeal to political theorists and philosophers as well as theologians and those interested in the critique of the Western civilization. (shrink)

1. Bd. Wesen, Aufstieg, und Verfall der philosophischen Theologie -- 2. Bd. Abgrenzung und Grundlegung.

This contribution seeks a nuanced democratic view on the position of religious and ideologically inspired views and argumentations on the political forum. We reject the liberal standard vision that rules out every reference to comprehensive doctrines. Political decisions should be neutral in their formulation of a proposition, but this does not exclude that there is some room for pluralism in the debate that precedes those decisions. From a democratic point of view there is no objection to religious and ideological views (...) and argumentations in the political debate on condition that citizens adopt a democratic attitude with regard to their own comprehensive views. (shrink)

This essay sets up a dialogue between Lefort’s view on the relationship between the state and modern society and Foucault’s thesis of a governmental turn in the modern power regime, whereby the relations between state and society are thoroughly redrawn. What are the main results? 1) Whereas Lefort’s political ontology leaves room for divergent agencies from which the symbolic institution of the social may unfold, his preoccupation with democracy leans him to inseparably link the symbolic institution of modern society with (...) the functioning of the modern state. 2) By contrast, Foucault’s history of governmentality documents a shift from the political and legal power regime to the biopolitical regime. This shift seems to be accompanied by a turn in the regime of the symbolic institution of modern society. Where that institution hitherto relied on the state, today, a symbiosis of state and neoliberal governmentality seems to be taking over. 3) This shift in power regimes brings along major problems. In political respect, it leads to a re-adjustment of the instituting representations of contemporary society, to a depoliticization of political and social relations, and to the erosion of democracy. (shrink)

In recent years, several authors have stated that emotions have come to play a more important role in political life, especially in political mass mobilisation. Ouring the 1990s, Belgium and other Western countries have indeed witnessed some spectacular examples of emotion-driven mobilisation. In this article, we argue that emotions are not an innovation in political mass-mobilisation. Various examples from the Belgian political history of the 19th and 20th centuries demonstrate that emotions have always been a key factor for explaining the (...) occurrence, the form and the outcome of political protest. The mobilising role of emotions cannot be considered as aquantitative innovation, and therefore the expression 'new emotional movements' does not seem warranted. We make the claim that these recent mobilisations are not typical because of their reliance on emotions, but rather because of their tendency toward de-institutionalisation. (shrink)

In Flanders, the political scene is divided in two by the 'cordon sanitaire' : none of the Flemish political parties want to make any political arrangement with the Vlaams Blok, an extreme-right populistic party that is considered to be undemocratic. The undemocratic reproaches not only refer to the extreme-right ideology, but also point at the internal functioning of the Vlaams Blok. In this article we discuss the results of a comparative study of the articles ofassociation ofthe Flemish political parties. This (...) study was set up to test the undemocratic reproaches by practical experience, and shows that the internal organisation ofthe Vlaams Blok reallyfunctions undemocraticly compared to the other Flemish political parties. (shrink)

Socio-political changes in the Dutch Reformed Church: Reflected in church orders 1962 and 1998. The Confessio Belgica or Dutch Confession of Faith (1561), article 29 confesses 3 indications regarding the marks of a true church: the scriptural-based preaching of God’s Word, the scriptural service of the sacraments, and the maintaining of church discipline. A reformed church order gives guidelines how this should be achieved practically by the church. In applying itself to the entire life of a church, its church order (...) normally reflects aspects of the present societal surroundings of this church. This is especially true of important socio-political changes of which the church, as part of society, and with its order made in that situation, normally gives indications. In being a visible church, every organised church gives reflections of some of its ties with the state authorities of the country and its politics. These reflections also communicate something of the approach of this church to these issues. The norm for the articles of a reformed church order should be the Word of God, but in guiding the church to fulfil its task, a church order also reflects aspects of the customs and culture in which it finds itself. Contribution: This article formulates the purpose of a church order and the fact that such an order carries reflections of the societal customs and values in the context of that church. From a church-historical and church-political perspective, a research study of the church orders of the Dutch Reformed Church of 1962 and 1998 is used to determine something of the stance of this church in the days of social unrest in the 1960s and social changes in South Africa in 1994. (shrink)

Kants Philosophie hat einen großen Einfluss auf die moderne Kultur ausgeübt. Der Aufsatz will auf die Frage nach der Relevanz dieses Denkens für die Theologie antworten. Vier Themen werden untersucht: 1. die Erkennbarkeit Gottes als eines der praeambula fidei; 2. das Glaubensverständnis als eine der Hauptaufgaben des Theologen; 3. die geschichtliche Dimension dieses Verständnisses; 4. der Glaubensakt als das Urteil, mit dem der Gläubige der geoffenbarten Wahrheit zustimmt. Demgegenüber stellt eine eingehende Untersuchung der Texte den Agnostizismus Kants fest; weiter das (...) völlige Fehlen des Verstehensaktes , den Kant durch starre Begriffe a priori ersetzt; weiter die Ignorierung des proprium des Urteils als absoluter Bejahung. Das eher negative Resultat stimmt mit der Beurteilung des gegenwärtigen Papstes überein, der in seiner Regensburger Vorlesung in der "Kritik" Kants einen klassischen Ausdruck der modernen "selbstverfügten Beschränkung der Vernunft" gesehen hat.Kant's philosophy has exercised significant influence on modern culture. The goal of this article is to address the relevance of his thought for theology. Four themes are addressed: 1) the knowledge of God as one of the praeambula fidei; 2) understanding the faith as a principal task of the theologian; 3) the historical dimensions of this understanding; and 4) the act of faith as the judgement with which the believer assents to the revealed truth. In this regard, the investigation uncovers, first, Kant's agnosticism; second, the complete absence of the act of understanding ; third, the replacement of understanding with inflexible concepts a priori; and finally, the neglect of the proprium of judgement as absolute assent. The findings of this article correspond to the judgement of the current pope, who in his address in Regensburg argued that Kant's Kritik is a classic expression of the modern self-limiting reason. (shrink)

The year 1993 in Flanders wilt be remembered as the year in which the Flemish prime minister, Luc Van den Brande, builds himself a very sharp profile. He very explicitly occupies the new domains on which the Flemish authorities can now decide on their own policy. He clearly defends the economical interests of Flanders, even if this leads to conflicts with French-speaking Belgians and/or with unitarist Belgians. Van den Brande launches his project for thefuture and promotes Flanders as a good (...) place for economical investments. Within his own party, the CVP, he counterbalances the weight of the federal prime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene. (shrink)

L’auteur revisite certains textes de Paul Ricœur publiés entre 1960 et 1992, afin d’exposer le rapport de cette philosophie avec la théologie chrétienne. Il interroge le statut de la théologie spéculative, dévolu par cette pensée, qui accorde un certain privilège à la théologie herméneutique et à la théologie politique.

Über eine Explikation der Begriffe "Religionswissenschaft" und "Theologie" wurde versucht, das Wesen und die Aufgabe beider Disziplinen sowie deren Verhältnis zueinander zu klären. Angesetzt wurde beim jeweiligen Gegenstand, "Religion/-en" bei der Religionswissenschaft und "Gott/Götter/Göttin/-nen" bei der Theologie. Religion/-en sind nicht Gegenstand der Theologie, sondern deren Standort. Objekt der Religionswissenschaft kann z.B. auch die Theologie einer Religion sein. Die sogenannte "Wirklichkeit der Religion", also die Wirklichkeit dessen, was religiös als wirklich empfunden wird, ist Gegenstand der Religionsphilosophie bzw. der Theologie, die Empfindung (...) dieser Wirklichkeit dagegen ist - unabhängig von der Wirklichkeit oder Nicht-Wirklichkeit des Empfindungsinhalts - ein Objekt der Religionswissenschaft. Religionswissenschaft hat einen empirisch faßbaren Gegenstand und ist daher eine empirische Wissenschaft; die Theologie hat einen empirisch nicht-faßbaren Gegenstand und ist daher eine nicht-empirische, deduktive Wissenschaft. Die historischen Fächer im christlich-theologischen Lehrplan, Bibelwissenschaft, Kirchen- und Theologiegeschichte, sind religionswissenschaftliche Disziplinen, deren Ergebnisse die Theologie, also Dogmatik und Moraltheologie, verarbeitet - wie die sogenannte Religionstheologie die Ergebnisse der Religionswissenschaft, die sich mit fremden Religionen beschäftigt, aufnimmt. Die "Fundamentaltheologie" ist Grundlagenwissenschaft der Theologie. Die praktischen Fächer nehmen die Ergebnisse der Theologie auf und wenden sie auf die kirchliche Praxis an. Die Religionsphilosophie hat es als Philosophie mit einem empirisch nicht faßbaren Gegenstand zu tun und ist daher keine religionswissenschaftliche Disziplin, sondern Grundlagenwissenschaft der Religionswissenschaft. (shrink)

In der systematisch-theologischen Studie wird am Beispiel des Werkes von Johann Georg Hamann (1730-1788) die Frage der Verhältnisbestimmung von Theologie und Naturwissenschaft untersucht und systematisch entfaltet. Im Zuge einer Übersetzung von Grundstrukturen "objektiver" Weltbetrachtung in Kategorien eines sprachlich-hermeneutischen Wirklichkeitsverständnisses ermöglicht Hamann die Verbindung von Schöpfung als Kommunikationsgeschehen mit einer ihre "grammatischen" Strukturen erschließenden Naturerkenntnis.

This paper is an interpretation of the precise meaning of Spinoza's provocative theses that "right is might", and that the real basis of political and other authority is power. The possibility condition of these radically modern theses — that imply the end of traditional theologico-political thinking — is a peculiar naturalistic theology. At the same time, this paper provides a brief, but thorough introduction to Spinoza's political philosophy. Some aspects of it which are often neglected, such as the intricate relationship (...) beween the law and the mores of the people, are given their due weight. (shrink)

The Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopadie der Theologie und der Kirchen (DBETh) (German Biographical Encyclopaedia of Theology and the Church) offers biographical articles on 8,000 people from the areas of church, theology and the non-Christian religions, in the German-speaking regions. This biographical encyclopaedia of the church and the history of religion reaches from the early Middle Ages to the present, covering a period of more than a thousand years. Christians of different confessions and communities, Jews, prominent theologians and religious leaders and representatives (...) of religious studies are presented with their life histories and life's work. The DBETh is a unique type of lexical work of unparalleled extensiveness. The geographical area covered by the DBETh is defined by the German language. Besides Germany, it covers Austria, German-speaking Switzerland, the Alsace and Transylvania, the Baltic and South Tyrol. The biographical articles are free of value judgements and censorship, and do not cover people still living. Men and women, who made a significant impact during their lives and had far reaching influence following their deaths, are dealt with more extensively in articles written and signed by experts. Almost all the articles have details of further reading. Indexes of persons and places make it easier to use and to find connections. The sphere of people covered is broad: theologians, holders of church offices, philosophers with a religious-theological emphasis as well as artists concentrating primarily on ecclesiastical themes and activities - writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, and architects. Also included are secular leaders who were specifically influential in church politics. Vicars recognized as writers or as naturalists are not forgotten any more than members of orders, acknowledged as astronomers or mathematicians.". (shrink)

Invité à relire son itinéraire d’écriture, l’auteur de L’homme qui venait de Dieu et de Dieu qui vient à l’homme l’inscrit dans la perspective d’une nouvelle manière de faire de la théologie, marquée par la recherche d’une méthode d’interprétation théologique de l’Écriture destinée à combler la distance entre dogmatique et exégèse, et la recherche d’une énonciation de la foi au sein d’une culture où Dieu est absent. Son oeuvre, qui a pris la forme du grand récit de la révélation de (...) Dieu, est orientée vers la «fin» de la théologie comprise comme menace de son extinction, quête de sa finalité essentielle, et surtout visée du terme de l’histoire où «Dieu sera tout en tous». Libérée des ornières du religieux par la singularité de Jésus Christ, la théologie assume selon l’auteur la responsabilité d’un penser et d’un croire dignes de l’humain. (shrink)