Martin Versfeld
A South African Philosopher in Dark Times

Author(s)
Wolff, Ernst
Language
EnglishAbstract
"Martin Versfeld (1909–1995) is one of South Africa’s greatest philosophers, appreciated by academics and activists, poets and the broader public. His masterful prose spans the tension between disquiet and joy. Detractor of the violent trends of modernity, a critic of apartheid from the first hour, he was among the first philosophers of ecology. At the same time he celebrated the generosity of the world and advocated an ethics of simplicity, drawing on mediaeval theology and Eastern wisdom. His philosophy offered food for thought in dark times of the 20th century, as it still does for us in the 21st century.
This first book-length study on Versfeld is an invitation to think with him on justice and exploitation, cultural difference and human nature, religion and the environment, time and connectedness."
Keywords
Martin Versfeld;philosophy;apartheid;theology;ecology;Medieval philosophy;Eastern wisdom;ethics of simplicity;poetry;AugustineISBN
9789462702974, 9789461664150Publisher
Leuven University PressPublisher website
www.lup.bePublication date and place
Leuven, 2021Grantor
Classification
Social & political philosophy
Philosophy of religion
Western philosophy: Medieval & Renaissance, c 500 to c 1600
Western philosophy, from c 1900 -
Non-Western philosophy