Is daar 'n Afrikaanse filosofiese tradisie?1

Abstract

Is there an Afrikaans philosophical tradition? This article asks whether there is an Afrikaans philosophical tradition. The answer to this question is a qualified no, but it is nevertheless argued that there is something like an Afrikaans philosophical approach. In the first part a reading is provided of A H Murray's idealistic interpretation of Afrikaans philosophy (1947) and more specifically his discussion of the theological, educational and political traditions that influenced Afrikaans philosophy. Murray's idealistic approach is criticized via a dialectical, material and historical reconstruction of the institutionalization of philosophy as a field of study in the context of colonialism (part 2). Against this background it is argued that British Idealism was a major influence on the philosophers who started philosophy as an academic subject at the four founding residential universities in South Africa (Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Wits and Pretoria). In section three the reaction of Afrikaans philosophers against British Idealism is discussed. In the final part of the paper some questions are posed regarding the possible role of Afrikaans philosophy in the post-1994public sphere of South Africa.