Nowadays society is a web of status functions, roles and power. People's main concerns no longer regard what Searle called brute facts, but rather the social acts and institutional facts, whose ...existence is observer-dependent. As Searle himself put it more than ten years ago, philosophy needs to break the recurring bifurcation of the mental and physical, as they are both part of the same single world. This theory, which is recurrent in most of his recent work and is at the foundations of his social ontology, is stated from an evolutionary perspective; whereas the philosophy of the 20th century revolved mainly around language and logic – both as methods and subjects – the 21st century will bring about a series of changes, namely the transmutation of focus towards social interactions.
This paper aims to reflect John Searle's view regarding social institutions’ role and ontology and the reasons why this should be a subject of interest for contemporary philosophers.
Church and society: a Christian-philosophical reflection The problem to be discussed is the role of the church in society. In spite of the fact that this was a topical issue throughout centuries, it ...has today – especially because of the increasing secularisation of the social environment – become a burning issue. It seems as if churches are becoming more and more marginalised, as if they have lost their relevance for broader societal life. This article, however, indicates that a major reason for the situation may be with the churches themselves, viz. a wrong conception about their own identity. From a Biblical-Reformational perspective this wrong view is first explained historically. It is followed by a systematic exposition of the church as a societal relationship. Such a Christian-philosophical analysis in no way harms, but rather enhances the uniqueness of the church. According to this philosophy of society the church no longer needs to be irrelevant. The contribution is concluded by indicating, on the one hand, how the church should not be involved in societal life and, on the other hand, how it should correctly be related to the other aspects of life.
Church and society : a Christian-philosophical reflection The problem to be discussed is the role of the church in society. In spite of the fact that this was a topical issue throughout centuries, it ...has today - especially because of the increasing secularisation of the social environment - become a burning issue. It seems as if churches are becoming more and more marginalised, as if they have lost their relevance for broader societal life. This article, however, indicates that a major reason for the situation may be with the churches themselves, viz. a wrong conception about their own identity. From a Biblical-Reformational perspective this wrong view is first explained historically. It is followed by a systematic exposition of the church as a societal relationship. Such a Christian-philosophical analysis in no way harms, but rather enhances the uniqueness of the church. According to this philosophy of society the church no longer needs to be irrelevant. The contribution is concluded by indicating, on the one hand, how the church should not be involved in societal life and, on the other hand, how it should correctly be related to the other aspects of life. Die probleem wat hier ondersoek word, is dié van die rol van die kerk in die samelewing. Hoewel dit vir baie eeue al 'n vraagstuk is, het dit vandag - veral as gevolg van die toenemende versekularisering van die sameling - 'n brandend-aktuele kwessie geword. Dit wil lyk asof die kerk(e) meer gemarginaliseer word en hulle relevansie vir die breër samelewing verloor het. Die artikel toon egter aan dat 'n belangrike oorsaak vir dié situasie by die kerk self gesoek moet word. Hierdie verkeerde visie word - teen die agtergrond van 'n Bybels-Reformatoriese standpunt - eers histories verduidelik. Daarna word op sistematiese wyse die aard van die kerk as samelewingsverband uitgespel. Daaruit blyk dat 'n Christelik-filosofiese analise van die kerk geensins sy uniekheid aantas nie, maar juis tot sy reg laat kom. Verder impliseer so 'n analise ook dat die kerk as menslike samelewingsverband 'n inherente deel van die breër samelewing is en dus nie irrelevant hoef te wees nie. Die bydrae word dus afgesluit deur aan te toon hoe die kerk nie en hoe dit (as dit korrek beskou word) wel in die samelewing betrokke behoort te wees.
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