Dr. J. Glenn Friesen

Studies relating to Herman Dooyeweerd Linked Glossary of Terms

© J. Glenn Friesen 2003, 2004

Linked Glossary of Terms
(references to De Wijsbegeerte der Wetsidee, unless indicated. See concordance for correlation with pages in the New Critique. The concordance is in pdf format.)

Dooyeweerd says that the Gegenstand-Relation is a divergent direction of consciousness as opposed to the concentric direction of consciousness that is directed towards the Center (NC I, 57, 58).

Baader also refers to a centripetal direction (towards the Center) and a centrifugal direction (away from the center). The centrifugal direction is a fleeing from the center. The fleeing from the center can be either a falling away from the center [entsinken] or a flying past the center [überfliegen]. In the flying pas tthe center, no final choice has yet been made for the eternal or the infernal direction of the antithesis. (Elementarbegriffe 546; Werke 8, 176)

Meister Eckhart says,

Du sollst entsinken deiner Deinesheit und sollst zerfließen in seine Seinesheit und soll dein Dein in seinem Mein ein Mein werden als gänzlich, daß du mit ihm verstehest ewiglich seine ungewordene Istigkeit und seine ungenannte Nichtigkeit

Baader says that we are to be mediators for the nonintelligent world just as Christ was a mediator for us. In his kenosis, Christ suspended his own glory and self-sacrifice. Similarly, as helping beings we ourselves must enter into the other beings, and must ourselves become conceivable [Sichsatzlich-machen], to embody ourselves [einverleiben] or to seed ourselves [einsäen] into the beings that are still bound. Just as God descended into the temporal through Christ, so we descend into the temporal. To do this requires that we acknowledge our solidarity and sympathy with those beings that require our help (Elementarbegriffe 554-559). I know that which I love in a different way than that which I do not love (Philosophische Schriften II, 140). Theoretical knowledge demands a double subjection –a subjection [Subjicirung] to God above as His creature, and a subjection to that which stands below. This double subjection gives us the ability to go out of our Center as well as to sink into it–both a centrifugal as well as a centripetal direction. Only as I subject myself to a Higher, do I have the power to subject that which is under me. Only serving can I rule. And only ruling do I serve The Son of Man came into the world to give witness to the truth. That is the destined end for Man, too, as the image of God (Weltalter 221, 222, 361). Our love is an affirmation of the Gegenstand by a denial of our self.

Revised Dec. 27/04