Hendrik G. Stoker

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Hendrik Gerhardus Stoker
Born
Hendrik Gerhardus Stoker

4 April 1899
Johannesburg, South Africa
Died16 May 1993(1993-05-16) (aged 94)
Potchefstroom, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
CitizenshipSouth Africa
OccupationPhilosopher
SpouseMiriam Francoise du Plessis
Children
  • Pieter Helenius Stoker
  • Leonard Herman Stoker
  • David Stoker
Academic background
Alma mater
Doctoral advisorMax Scheler
InfluencesHerman Bavinck[1]
Academic work
DisciplinePhilosophy
School or traditionReformational philosophy[2]
InstitutionsPotchefstroom University
Doctoral studentsJohan Heyns
Notable worksWysbegeerte van die skeppingsidee
InfluencedCornelius Van Til

Hendrik Gerhardus Stoker (1899–1993) was a Calvinistic philosopher. He is known for creating his own philosophical system called "Philosophy of the creation-idea." (1933).[3]Johan Heyns said in "Denkers deur die eeue" that Stoker is one of the greatest philosophers that Africa has ever produced.[4] He studied at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and the University of Cologne, and he completed his doctoral dissertation on "Nature and the forms of conscience" under Max Scheler.[5]

Biography[edit]

Photo of the Stoker family, Hendrik is on the far right.

Early days[edit]

Stoker was born on 4 April 1899 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Both his parents, Pieter Stroker (born 5 February, 1865 in Assen)[6] and Geertje (Leentje) Nienhuis (born 24 February 1973 in Bedum) are immigrants from the Netherlands, they met in Johannesburg. Six months after Stoker was born the Second Boer War broke out, his father joined the Boer commando's as a Dutch volunteer. During the war his parents saw the horror and suffering of the women and children in the British concentration camps. Because of this the Stoker family developed an anti-British sentiment.[7]

Stoker's parents did not want him to go to an English school, so they sent him to the Deutsche Internationale Schule in Johannesburg. The First World War caused some difficulty for the Deutsche Schule and Stoker's parents were forced to move him to the Potechefstroom Gimnasium, where he matriculated in 1916. While he was a student at the Gimnasium, he attended several open classes of (among others) Jacobus Daniël du Toit also known as Totius. Totius, the professor at the Theological School of the Reformed Church was also known as a poet and one of the leaders of the "Tweede Taalbeweging" (Second Language Movement).[8] Totius' lectures on the book Isaiah finally convince him of the value of the Christian life attitude.[9]

Marriage photo of Stoker (center-left) and his wife (center-right), joined by Totius (middle)

Family[edit]

On September 1925 Stoker was married to Miriam Francoise du Plessis by Totius in the Reformed Church, Pretoria. Du Plessis was born on 30 April 1902 and died on 8 March 1994, about a year after her husband. They were survived by four children, Pieter, the eldest became a Professor of Physics at the Potchefstroom University, and David, the second eldest, became vice president at the Human Sciences Research Council.[10]

Career[edit]

Stoker taught at Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education from 1925 to 1970. He developed a unique strand of Calvinistic philosophy called "Wysbegeerte van die skeppingsidee" or translated in English "Philosophy of the creation-idea". He's disagreed with Herman Dooyeweerd and D. H. Th. Vollenhoven who called their philosophy "Wijsbegeerte van die Wetsidee" or translated "philosophy of the cosmonomic idea", because the creation was more encompassing principle for Stoker than the laws of creation. The name had the further benefit for Stoker that it was distinctly Christian, while the use of the term "law" instead of "creation" was preferred by Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoven.

Criticism[edit]

The question can be asked why Stoker is relatively unknown. The following possible reasons are put forward by Van der Walt:[11]

  1. Stoker mainly published in Afrikaans.
  2. He wrote extremely cumbersome.
  3. He practiced in a Theological-Philosophical career.
  4. He supported the Apartheid policy of the government.

Usually his support for the Apartheid policy is what he's criticized most for. Van Wyk in 1994 wrote an article in which he criticized Stoker for considering the nation as a primary social bond and consequently considered the nation more important than the kingdom of God.[12] In a more recent book by Milton Shain, Stoker is also suspected of having Anti-Semitic influences present in him. Shain believes that Stoker would not admit it openly, but that he does notice a form of Jew-hatred in him.[13] Stoker did not agree that Jews should be given full civil rights, but repeatedly notes that Jew-hatred should be rejected.[14]

Scholastic influence[edit]

It is especially B.J. Van der Walt who criticizes Stoker for not succeeding in freeing himself from the scholastic influence of Herman Bavink. Bavink is considered by Van der Walt to be a scholastic thinker and initially Stoker planned to study under Bavink.[11] Van der Walt also believes that Stoker did not succeed in establishing Christian Philosophy, because according to Stoker, Philosophy was still dependent on Theology.[15]

Hendrik in 1948

Defense of Apartheid[edit]

In the article "At the Crossroads: Apartheid and University Freedom in South-Africa" Stoker tried to explain the government's Apartheid policy to the international community. This is one of the few English articles that Stoker wrote. Stoker starts the article by talking about the reality of South Africa's demographics, that the white population is a minority. According to Stoker, the white population was at a crossroads, either they had to integrate with the black populations of South Africa or they had to differentiate. The way of integration according to Stoker would be a Liberalist solution that would lead to the loss of the uniqueness of the Afrikaner community. It is within this context that Stoker opted for differentiation, rather than integration.[16]

Stoker can probably be seen as one of the main theological underpinnings of the apartheid ideology and made statements about it and wrote about it. H.H. William writes about it:[17]

Stoker takes an honest, albeit idealistic, view of the racial situation in South Africa. He states that apartheid is not a comprehensive view of life like, for example, liberalism, but a limited view, which has to do with the unique racial situation regarding the relationship between and the equality of the different races in South Africa. In his defense of the good intentions of apartheid, he states quite idealistically that it seeks to lead the blacks to their highest potential of development and at the same time to protect them from "Europeanisation" and "Westernisation" where these influences, in his opinion, will uproot them and will destroy their racial integrity. Stoker mentions a number of reasons why the racial situation in South Africa has reached a critical stage, for example the inequality in political and civilizational level that has existed between the white majority group and the black minority group since their meeting at the southern tip of Africa. These, as well as cultural differences, resulted in the necessary privileging of the superior group. Adjustments had to be made by both groups. With the urbanization process of the blacks, the racial question became a racial crisis. The crossroads that South Africa came to was the choice that had to be made between integration or differentiation. The most likely alternative, as it could be applied according to liberalism in South Africa, would, according to the fear of the majority of whites, lead to integration and assimilation in economic, cultural, political, social and finally biological areas. Equality in terms of the individual would, because of the preponderance of numbers of the blacks, threaten the whites' existence by absorbing their living space, gaining political power and gaining control over the determination of their future destiny. With the choice of apartheid, the whites wanted to secure their own existence and maintain control over their own future determination and they thought that they could best arrange matters for peaceful coexistence for the other racial groups in the country.

There are several people today who blame Stoker for this, such as the following quote from the church archive of the Dutch Reformed Church:[18]

Political and spiritual leaders as well as theologians from the ranks of the church often have the justification that gives the ideology and practice of apartheid a semblance of given acceptability.

Awards[edit]

Stoker receiving an honorary doctorate from the RAU

The following awards also bear witness to H.G. Stoker's scientific contributions over almost seventy years:

Year Awards
1957 Master Prize of the Afrikaans Literary Association
1964 Stals Prize for Philosophy awarded by the South African Academy of Science and Art
1987 Honorary doctorate awarded by the Rand Afrikaans University
1987 Decoration for Distinguished Service of the State President (the highest civilian award)

Academic activities[edit]

A list Stoker's academic activities:

Theses[edit]

In addition, two dissertations on the work of Stoker were accepted, one at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam (1968) and the other at the RAU (1972).

Postgraduate students[edit]

Of his postgraduate students, 9 obtained doctorate degrees and 18 master's degrees under his guidance. Of the postgraduate students, the most important is certainly Prof. J.A. Heyns who studied under Stoker.[17]

Work[edit]

  • Een en ander oor menslike vrijheid. In: Festschrift für H.J. de Vleeschauwer. 1960, S. 150−172.

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.academia.edu/38749758/Critical_reflections_on_HG_Stoker_approach_towards_a_Christian_philosophy p. 2
  2. ^ https://www.allofliferedeemed.co.uk/Wolters/AMWNeo_Cal.pdf p. 7
  3. ^ Stoker, Hendrik Gerhardus (1933). Die Wysbegeerte van die skeppingsidee [Wisdom of the Idea of Creation] (in Afrikaans). Pretoria: De Bussy. J.B.
  4. ^ Heyns, Johan Adam (1967). Denkers deur die eeue [Thinkers through the ages] (in Afrikaans). Cape Town: Tafelberg Uitgewers.
  5. ^ "Cast of Characters". redeemer.on.ca. 28 March 2006. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  6. ^ "Akte BS Geboorte Pieter Stoker". alledrenten.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  7. ^ Domenico, Roy P.; Yardley, Mark Y., eds. (2006). Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Politics. Vol. 2. Westpoint, Connecticut & London: Greenwood Press. pp. 538–539. ISBN 0313338906.
  8. ^ Pienaar, EC (1919). Taal en poësie van die tweede Afrikaanse taalbeweging [Language and poetry of the second Afrikaans language movement] (in Afrikaans). Pretoria/Amsterdam en Kaapstad: J.H. de Bussy en Hollandsch-Afrikaansche Uitgevers-Maatschappij v/h J. Dusseau & Co. p. 205.
  9. ^ Raath, AWG (1994). "Soli Deo Gloria: Die lewe en werk van prof. dr. HG Stoker". Koers – Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap. 59 (3/4): 343–361.
  10. ^ van Aswegen, Leon Johan Pierre (20 May 2015). "Miriam Francoise du Plessis". Geni. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b Van Der Walt, Barend J. (19 March 2023). "H.G. Stoker (1999–1993) as Christelike filosoof: 'n Historiese legende en koon, of nog steeds 'n kontemporêre mentor?" [H.G. Stoker (1999–1993) as a Christian philosopher: A historical legend and icon, or still a contemporary mentor?]. In die Skriflig (in Afrikaans). 47 (1) – via AOSIS Publishing.
  12. ^ Van Wyk, JH (1994). "Liberate konserwatisme? - HG Stoker en die ideologie van apartheid: 'n Verkenning" [Liberal conservatism? - HG Stoker and the ideology of apartheid: An exploration]. Koers – Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap (in Afrikaans). 59 (3/4): 435–454.
  13. ^ Shain, Milton (2015). A perfect storm : antisemitism in South Africa, 1930-1948. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN 9781868427000.
  14. ^ Stoker, Hendrik Gerhardus (1942). Die Stryd om die Ordes [The Struggle for the Orders] (in Afrikaans). Potchefstroom: Calvyn Jubileum Boekefonds. pp. 117–118, 157–158.
  15. ^ Stoker, Hendrik Gerhardus (1961). Beginsels en metodes in die wetenskap [Principles and methods in science.] (in Afrikaans). Potchefstroom: Pro Rege Pers Beperk. pp. 240–245.
  16. ^ Stoker, Hendrik Gerhardus (1967). At the Crossroads: Apartheid and University Freedom in South Africa. Tafelberg Publishers. pp. 209–222.
  17. ^ a b William, Henry Hofmeyer (January 2006). "J.A. Heyns en die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk en Apartheid" [J.A Heyns, the Dutch Reformed Church and Apartheid] (PDF). scholar.ufs.ac.za (in Afrikaans). Bloemfontein. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Kerkargief" [The NG Church and Apartheid] (PDF). kerkargief.co.za (in Afrikaans). February 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2024. Politieke en geestelike leiers asook teoloë uit die geledere van die kerk het dikwels die regverdiging verskaf wat aan die ideologie en die praktyk van apartheid 'n skyn van aanvaarbaarheid gegee het. Die sinodes of vergaderinge van die kerk het deur besluitneming beslag gegee aan die heersende teologiese oortuigings en die aannames van daardie tyd. Die krag van die gesamentlike besluite ter ondersteuning van apartheid het uiteraard stukrag verleen aan die oortuigings van leiers en lidmate. Kerklike leiers het inderdaad 'n beduidende rol gespeel om indertyd die regering en ook lidmate te beïnvloed.
  • John Van Der Stelt (1996) 'History of Christian philosophy: Lectures' (Dordt College)


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