https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/44 2026-06-25T14:44:59Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32673 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 https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32666 Famed liberation fighter: a political biography of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, 1956-1979 Gumede, Siphoesihle Phindile This thesis critically examines the life and identity of Solomon Mahlangu, a pivotal yet widely commemorated figure in South Africa’s liberation struggle. Drawing on extensive archival research, the thesis demystifies Mahlangu’s life by focusing on his formative years, beginning with his birth in 1956 in Mamelodi, northeast of Pretoria. It explores the socio-economic hardships of his childhood, his educational journey, and the political awakening catalysed by the 16 June 1976 uprisings. The research traces his trajectory into exile, culminating in his execution by hanging in 1979, and interrogates the legacy he left behind. By foregrounding overlooked biographical details and contextualising these within the broader national discourse, this thesis challenges the dominant commemorative narratives that have often silenced or simplified Mahlangu’s lived experiences. In doing so, it fills a critical gap in South African historiography, offering a nuanced portrait of a young man whose life and sacrifice continue to inspire generations. The thesis underscores the importance of biographical inquiry in reclaiming historical agency and enriching the collective memory of the nation’s struggle for freedom. Text and abstract in English 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32571 Entering the silence : meditation and the hidden path of Theo Sophia, a treatise on the soundless sound extracted from the teachings of the Order of Christian Mystics and the Voice of the silence Schreuder, Dirk Jan This dissertation aims to show that the eternal spiritual verities to be found within Asian philosophy such as karma, reincarnation and engaging an inner path of meditation to attain Unity with ‘God’ – freedom from repeated reincarnation – is comparable with, and to be found within broad-based Judeo-Christian1 mystical tradition as espoused by The Order of Christian Mystics (1908 - 1949). Its spiritual teachings aimed to show its pupils and disciples how to come into touch with an Inner Divine Power – the Mystic Christ or the Soundless Sound2 – and how this ‘Sound Current’ redeems and transforms the aspirant, leading to God-realisation. It draws on Theosophical teachings to show the universality with Asian philosophy, revealing a system of personal regeneration or spiritual alchemy, by transmuting the base creative energy – understood as kundalini shakti in Asian philosophy – through Divine aspiration and inner contemplative and meditative practices. 2025-09-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32557 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