CFR, the Creation-Fall-Redemption Ground-Motive
The Creation-Fall-Redemption ground-motive was held by culture that had been informed by the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and emerged from the Biblical idea that the Cosmos is separate from, created by, and depends on, a Divine being, God. In this view, the Divine is personal and good, and so all reality is intrinsically good, and may be enjoyed. In particular, (from point of view of Greek thought which was dominated by the Form-Matter ground-motive) both matter and form are Good, both dynamic and static, both body and soul, both hand-work and mind-work. Reliability is no longer founded on Form, but on a covenant-keeping God who upholds all. Evil is located, not in one or other half of reality, but in the heart of humankind; not in the structure of the cosmos but in the response that we make within it. The remedy for evil is that the Divine pro-actively steps in to save the Creation (such as the various rescues experienced by the people of Israel, but supremely by Jesus Christ). Christian versions add that the Divine indwells human beings to make them a 'new creation'.
If form no longer opposes matter, nor matter form, the mind-body dualism is annulled. Universality (which was located in form) and individuality (in matter) are reconciled, displaying "fullness and splendour" [NC,II:418].
Today, the influence of the CFR ground-motive is found more in everyday life than in academic life. Its lack of influence in academic circles may be partly because of the long influence, since 500 AD, of the NGGM, which kept faith and reason in separate compartments, and so faith has little part to play in genuine academic discourse except to pronounce dogma, so that attempts to work out a CFR-based theoretical approach have been sparse.
CFR is the ground-motive from which Dooyeweerd worked. Some others did also, such as Michail Polanyi and Franz von Baader, but none explored in philosophically in as much detail as Dooyeweerd did.
This is part of The Dooyeweerd Pages, which explain, explore and discuss Dooyeweerd's interesting philosophy. Questions or comments are very welcome.
Compiled by Andrew Basden. You may use this material subject to conditions.
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Created: 3 May 2007.
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