Homo Respondens

For almost half a century, Henk Geertsema has been a creative and influential philosopher in the tradition of 'reformational philosophy', as it emerged in the line of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Dooyeweerd, at first in the Netherlands, but afterwards throughout the world, Western and non-Western. Geertsema developed his thoughts preferably in well thought through essays in which he develops his own 're-thinking' of this tradition. This volume contains the key essays, the fruits of almost 50 years of reflection. In these essays a way of philosophizing is developed that wants to do philosophical justice both to the Biblical message by careful listening to what it really says, and to scientific insights as they emerge in the empirical sciences. A constant dialogue with other philosophical traditions, both ancient and contemporary, is as well an essential ingredient of this endeavor. The four parts in which this book is divided can be read as a track record of Geertsema's concerns over the years: 'Knowing', 'Doing Science', 'Being Human' and 'Understanding Scripture'. 'Dialogue' could be added as a fifth central theme, which is practiced throughout the four parts: with Plato, with Descartes, and with a whole range of 20th century thinkers.