Johannes Jacobus (Johan) Degenaar OIS (7 March 1926 – 22 July 2015) was a South African

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, and Emertitus Professor at the

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

, who is considered "one of the most respected and influential philosophers in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Biography

Degenaar started to study

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

in 1943 at the

University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

, where he obtained his MA degree in 1948 with a thesis entitled ''Kennis as Lewe'' (Life of knowledge), advised by Professor Freddie Kirsten. He continued to study

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, and graduated with a doctoral dissertation on

Max Scheler Max Ferdinand Scheler (; 22 August 1874 – 19 May 1928) was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology. Considered in his lifetime one of the most prominent German philosophers,Davis, Zacha ...

's ethics advised by Helmuth Plessner. In 1951 he obtained his PhD under the supervision of Kirsten Bosch for the thesis entitled "Die herhaling van die vraag na die filosofie" (Repeating the question of philosophy). In 1949 he started as lecturer in philosophy at the

. In 1969 he was appointed as Professor and later also as Head of Department. Among his PhD students was

Paul Cilliers Friedrich Paul Cilliers (25 December 1956 – 31 July 2011) was a South-African philosopher, complexity researcher, and Professor in Complexity and Philosophy at Stellenbosch University. He was known for his contributions in the field of comple ...

(PhD, 1994). These roles he fulfilled until his retirement in 1991. In 1984 he was awarded the Stalsprys; in 1998 the NP van Wyk Louw medal; and in 2004 the

Order of Ikhamanga The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African civilian honour that recognises achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports. Before the order was established on 30 November 2003, such achievements were recognised by the ...

for his "excellent contribution to philosophy and literature, his intellectual honesty and principled role in the broad struggle to resist conformity to the apartheid ideology."National Orders awards 29 October 2004 : Johannes Jacobus Degenaar
at info.gov.za Last modified: 19 August 2008 15:20:38. The

University of Port Elizabeth The University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) was a public university located in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. UPE was founded on 31 January 1964, by an act of parliament, and held its first academic year in 1965. It off ...

(1997) and the

(2001) granted him honorary doctorates. He is married to Jetty Maria, born Houtman, and has two sons, Hans and Marc. They live in Stellenbosch.

Work

In the 1950s Degenaar was primarily concerned with phenomenological-existential, aesthetic and theological work in philosophy. He lectures on the works of

Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , ; ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danes, Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical tex ...

, and through his courses and writings of

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

and

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...

he introduced South Africans to existentialism. His motto in life and work was the Socratic statement "'n Ongeëksamineerde lewe is nie die moeite werd om te leef nie" (An unexamined life is not worth living). He also wrote on political and ethical dilemmas of the South African society, and since the 1960s he was an outspoken critic of the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

ideology. After clashes with the authorities of the Dutch Reformed Church, he had to leave the Philosophy department and was appointed head of the Department of Political Philosophy. He also questioned the twentieth century ideologies of

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...

and

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and investigate the feasibility of a pluralistic democracy in South Africa. He further wrote about ethnicity, violence, and the relationship between art and society.

Publications

* 1951. ''Die Herhaling van die vraag na die Filosofie''. Stellenbosch: US, Unpublished PhD thesis. * 1955. "Søren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855." ''Standpunte 10(2)'': 63-65. * 1962. ''Eksistensie en Gestalte''. Johannesburg: Simondium. * 1963. ''Die Sterflikheid van die Siel''. Johannesburg: Simondium * 1963. ''Op Weg na 'n Nuwe Politieke Lewenshouding''. Kaapstad: Tafelberg * 1965. ''Evolusie en Christendom. 'n Opstel oor Teilhard de Chardin''. Kaapstad: Simondium * 1966. ''Die Wêreld van Albert Camus''. Johannesburg: APB. * 1967. ''Sekularisasie''. Pretoria: Academica. * 1969. ''Beweging Uitwaarts'' in samewerking met W. A. de Klerk en Marthinus Versfeld. Kaapstad: John Malherbe. * 1974. "Pluralisme." ''Standpunte 27(3)'': 6-21. * 1976. ''Moraliteit en Politiek''. Kaapstad: Tafelberg. * 1978. ''Afrikaner Nationalism''. Cape Town: Centre for Intergroup Studies. * 1978. ''Christian Responsibility in South Africa's Plural Society''. Cape Town: The Centre. * 1980. ''Voorbestaan in Geregtigheid: Opstelle oor die politieke rol van die Afrikaner''. Kaapstad: Tafelberg. * 1982. ''Marxism-Leninism and its implications for South Africa''. Cape Town: Academica * 1982. ''The roots of Nationalism''. Cape Town: Academica. * 1982. ''Keuse vir die Afrikaner''. Johannesburg: Taurus. * 1982. ''Ideologies: ways of looking at South Africa''. Cape Town: Dept. of Extramural Studies. * 1986. ''Art and the Meaning of Life''. Cape Town: Dept. of Extramural Studies. * 1991. "The Myth of a South African Nation." ''IDASA Occasional Papers 40'': 1-20. * 1996. "The concept of Politics in Postmodernism." ''Politikon 23(2)'': 54-71. * 1999. ''Die spanning tussen Voortbestaan en Geregtigheid''. Amsterdam: NZAV. * 2000. "Multiculturalism. How can the human world live its difference?" In W.E. Vugt; G.D. Cloete (eds.): ''Race and Reconciliation in South Africa''. Lanham: Lexington Books. * 2008.
Die Tweede Refleksie. 'n Keur uit die denke van Johan Degenaar
'. Samest.: W.L. van der Merwe en P. Duvenage. Stellenbosch: SUN Press. (In pers.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Degenaar, Johan 1926 births 2015 deaths South African philosophers Stellenbosch University alumni Academic staff of Stellenbosch University Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga