https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/2980 2026-06-28T11:41:04Z 2026-06-28T11:41:04Z Dladla, Thabang Shaun https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32673 2026-06-25T10:57:06Z 2025-10-01T00:00:00Z

Archie Mafeje and the liberation of philosophy and Social Sciences in Africa Dladla, Thabang Shaun This thesis articulates a conception of philosophy and the social sciences which understands reality on its own terms. It is an intervention in the practice of philosophy and the social sciences in South Africa, which owe their existence to the colonial heritage and continue to neglect the unjust and divisive social reality that defines South Africa. The argument defended by this thesis is that such continuity is indicative of outstanding liberation on the part of the indigenous people conquered in the unjust wars of colonisation. This thesis draws on the work of Archie Mafeje to elaborate and defend his account of African Philosophy and liberatory social science practice, as a historically specific expression of the liberatory struggle of Africans against unjust Euro-centric colonial domination. Basically, this research focuses on Archie Mafeje’s thought and practice on the issues concerning epistemic decolonisation and authentic liberation of the social sciences and philosophy in the continent, a discourse that engulfed the African academy since post-independence circa 1960. Mafeje was a constitutive part of that particular historical unfolding and participated in the debates that shaped the practice of the social sciences and philosophical discourses in varying intellectual circles in the post-independence era. That he was exiled from South Africa speaks of the outstanding liberation on that part of the African continent which he also laboured to achieve. Mafeje’s work represents an instantiation of a liberatory practice of philosophy and the social science in Africa generally, and with particular reference to South Africa.

2025-10-01T00:00:00Z D'Antuono, Matthew https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32557 2026-06-01T09:42:45Z 2026-02-05T00:00:00Z

A Thomistic critical realist reading of beauty in physics as an argument for the existence of God D'Antuono, Matthew In Thomist metaphysics, beauty is defined as unity, harmony and clarity. In a word, beauty is order. Philosophers have attempted to arrive at a definition of beauty on the basis of physicists’ descriptions of physics; however, physicists’ accounts are not always consistent. Thomist aesthetics, however, adequately accounts for the various understandings of beauty on which physicists insist. Such attributions of beauty to physics as well as the entire practice of physics find themselves in danger if physics is viewed through an instrumentalist lens. Critical realism is necessary in order for such statements about beauty in physics to mean what physicists intend them to mean. Also, if beauty is real and critical realism accounts correctly for beauty and physics, then it can be argued that God exists via the Fourth Way of Thomas Aquinas, which finds evidence for the existence of God in gradations in things. The gradation of perfections such as nobility, goodness and truth implies the existence of some maximum perfection, which is God. It is argued in this thesis that although not mentioned by Aquinas in his corpus, beauty is one of those perfections. This constitutes a new argument for the existence of God on the basis of beauty.; In Thomistese metafisika word skoonheid omskryf as eenheid, harmonie en duidelikheid. Met ander woorde, skoonheid is orde. Filosowe het probeer om skoonheid op grond van fisici se beskrywings van fisika te omskryf, maar fisici se weergawes is nie altyd konsekwent nie. Thomistiese estetika verduidelik die verskillende begrippe van skoonheid waarop fisici aandring egter voldoende. Sulke toeskrywings van skoonheid aan fisika en die praktyk van fisika as geheel verkeer in gevaar as fisika deur 'n instrumentalistiese lens beskou word. Kritiese realisme is nodig om seker te maak dat sulke verklarings oor skoonheid in fisika beteken wat fisici bedoel het hulle moet beteken. Verder, as skoonheid werklik bestaan en kritiese realisme korrek rekening gee van skoonheid en fisika, kan daar aangevoer word dat God via die Vierde Weg van Thomas Aquinas bestaan, wat bewyse vir die bestaan van God in gradasies van dinge vind. Die gradering van volmaakthede soos adelikheid, goedheid en waarheid impliseer die bestaan van die een of ander maksimum volmaaktheid – wat God is. In hierdie proefskrif word daar aangevoer dat alhoewel Aquinas nie daarvan melding maak in sy korpus nie, is skoonheid een van hierdie volmaakthede. Dit is 'n nuwe argument vir die bestaan van God op grond van skoonheid.; Kwisifundo se-Thomist metaphysics, ubuhle buchazwa njengobumbano, ukuzwana nokucacisa. Ngamafuphi nje, ubuhle buwukuhleleka. Izazi zefilosofi zike zazama ukufika encazelweni yobuhle ngesisekelo sezincazelo zezazi ze-fiziksi; nokho-ke, ama-akhawunti ezazi zefiziksi awahlezi ehamba ngendlela eyodwa. I-Thomist aesthetics, nokho-ke, ilandisa ngokwanele ukuqonda okuhlukahlukene kobuhle lapho izazi ze-fiziksi zigcizelela khona. Ukuchazwa okunjalo kobuhle kwi-fiziksi kanye nawowonke umkhuba we-physics kuzithola kusengozini uma i-fiziksi ibhekwa ngelensi yezinsiza. Kudingeka iqiniso elibucayi ukuze lezo zitatimende mayelana nobuhle kuphysics zisho lokho izazi ze-fiziksi ezihlose ukuba zisho. Futhi, uma ubuhle bungokoqobo futhi buyiqiniso elibucayi bulandisa kahle ngobuhle kanye ne-fiziksi, khona-ke kungaphikiswana ngokuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona ngeNdlela yesine ka- Thomas Aquinas, ethola ubufakazi bobukhona bukaNkulunkulu ngokuhlukaniswa kwezinto. Ukwehlukaniswa kwezinga lokuphelela okufana nezikhulu, ubuhle kanye neqiniso kusho ukuba khona kokupheleliswa okukhulu, okunguNkulunkulu. Kuphikiswana ngayo kule thesis ukuthi nakuba kungashiwongo ngu-Aquinas kucorpus yakhe, ubuhle bungenye yalezo zimfanelo. Lokhu kwakha impikiswano entsha yobukhona bukaNkulunkulu ngesisekelo sobuhle. Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Zulu

2026-02-05T00:00:00Z Mpako, Dabula Anthony https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32154 2026-06-25T12:57:33Z 2008-12-01T00:00:00Z

Narrative decolonisation of the person in post-apartheid South Africa: reflections by pastoral a therapist Mpako, Dabula Anthony The historical systems of white supremacy, colonialism and apartheid (in South Africa) have had far-reaching effects on the person on both sides of the divide. All have, albeit in different ways and to varying degrees, been shaped in fundamental ways by these closely related discourses. The thesis addresses this reality. Firstly, it exposes these effects, identifying and naming them on the basis of the stories of six real people on the one hand, and critical social analysis by a selected group of prominent social analysts, in the past and in the present – from Franz Fanon in the 1950s to Critical Whiteness scholars in the contemporary world – on the other. The exposition extends to the pastoral context of Christianity and the Church, focusing mainly on the effects of Christianity’s historical collusion with white supremacy, colonialism and apartheid (in South Africa). Secondly, the thesis engages with social constructionist discourse as appropriated by narrative therapy to interpret the identified effects and to elucidate the deeper dynamics involved. Thirdly, using a narrative way of working, the thesis proposes a map of decolonisation practices for use in group or community work, in the pastoral context of the Church and beyond, with the purpose of facilitating the construction of an alternative discourse, characterised by more ethical and more lifegiving ways of being and relating.

2008-12-01T00:00:00Z Africa, Obakeng https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31939 2024-11-27T09:56:48Z 2024-05-15T00:00:00Z

Crossbearers as the messianic generation: towards a black radical Christology Africa, Obakeng South Africa is in crisis, and theologians have been grappling with the theological significance of this state of affairs. In the realm of black theology, many have expressed concern around the discursive malaise this theological tradition is currently experiencing. On the other hand, theologians are still coming to terms with the epistemological break that Fallism introduced into popular discourse in the country. Some theologians have responded to the movement, but no theologian has articulated a theological contribution from the movement itself. The following study is an attempt to articulate a theological expression of Fallism while not falling into the excesses of the philosophical framework. Through the black Christology of Takatso Mofokeng, I seek to articulate a Fallist response to the central question of his Christological framework, “how can faith in Jesus Christ empower black people who are involved in the struggle for their liberation?” (Mofokeng, 1983, p. x) To answer this question, I stage a critical encounter between black theology and radical theology. This theoretical encounter is staged in the following manner. First, I make the case for the discursive contact between black theology and radical theology. Second, I do a thematic survey of the motif of identity in Mofokeng’s Christology. Third, I explore an alternative hermeneutical orientation that can help address the limitations of the motif of identity in Mofokeng’s Christology through John D. Caputo’s radical theology. Specifically, I explore his hermeneutics of the call. I then bring this to a head by articulating a Christian Fallism and its corollary circumfessional orientation. In short, Christian Fallism is my post-1994 answer to the central question in Mofokeng’s Christology. This answer is inflected with the critical intuitions of Fallism. An inflection which serves as a theoretical extension to the Black Consciousness philosophical framework that Mofokeng had to work with. Fallism extends this by also drawing from black radical feminism, and Pan-Africanism with specific attention to the historical conditions of South Africa today. The corollary circumfessional orientation that I bring into the discourse is a measure that is meant to guard against the logics of community that both black theology and Fallism run afoul of.

2024-05-15T00:00:00Z