Herman Dooyeweerd

Herman Dooyeweerd (7 October 1894, Amsterdam – 12 February 1977, Amsterdam) was a Dutch juridical scholar by training, who by vocation was a philosopher and a co-founder of the Philosophy of the Cosmonomic Idea with Dirk Vollenhoven. Dooyeweerd made several contributions to philosophy and other theoretical thought, including concerning: the nature of diversity and coherence in everyday experience, the transcendental conditions for theoretical thought, the relationship between religion and philosophy, and a different view of meaning, being, time and self. Dooyeweerd is most famous for his suite of fifteen aspects (or 'law-spheres'), which are distinct ways in which reality can be meaningful and good, and can exist and occur. This suite of aspects is finding application in practical analysis, research and teaching in such diverse fields as built environment, sustainability, agriculture, business, information systems and development. Danie Strauss, the editor of Dooyeweerd's Collected Works, has provided a systematic look at Dooyeweerd's philosophy here.