Introduction to the Philosophy of Creation Order, with Special Emphasis on the Philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd

In this introductory chapter, we provide some background to the main theme of these two volumes, to wit, creation order. We start with a quick historical sketch of how the traditional connection between the experienced orderliness of the world around us and the will of a divine Creator came under pressure as a result of various philosophical and scientific developments. We also show how scholars from Christian and other religious traditions responded in different ways to these developments. Next, we offer a brief overview of some key themes from the work of the Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd. We believe that his thought offers insights that can profitably be used to advance the contemporary discussion on creation order, as is evidenced by a number of contributions to these two volumes. The chapter closes with a brief overview of what can be expected in the chapters that follow.