stasis

Linked Glossary of Terms
(references to De Wijsbegeerte der Wetsidee, unless indicated. See concordance for correlation with pages in the New Critique. The concordance is in pdf format.)

Eleatic NC I, 106 ft 1
stasis
static I, 79NC I, 31-32, 106 ft 1,
NC II, 558 rigid-static (contrasted to plastic motive of dimension of human experience).

“Van Peursen’s Critische Vragen bij “A New Critique of Theoretical Thought,” Philosophia Reformata 25 (1960), 97-150, at 137 (‘supratemporal’ is not intended to refer to a static situation). At p. 140: rejects ‘objectively voohandene’ and ‘static.’

Stasis, from the Indo-Greek root sta- (“to stand”) is related to the words en-stasis, ek-stasis, systasis, dis-stasis, hypo-stasis, ana-stasis, apo-stasis and apokatastasis. See the Sanskrit stha.

For a full discussion, see my 2011 article, “Enstasy, Ecstasy and Religious Self-reflection:A history of Dooyeweerd’s Ideas of pre-theoretical experienceA history of Dooyeweerd’s Ideas of pre-theoretical experience.”

Usually we understand stasis in the meaning of ‘static,’ in opposition to ‘dynamic.’ Dooyeweerd sometimes uses it in this sense, as when he rejects a ‘static’ view of eternity.

This, however, is not to say that the religious centre of human existence is found in a rigid and static immobility. That is a metaphysical-Greek idea of supra-temporality. (NC I, 31 ft.)

Dooyeweerd says that Parmenides’ idea of eternal being has no coming into being nor passing away, and is enclosed in the static-spatial form of the sphere. But the Bible does not even ascribe to God any supratemporality in this Greek metaphysical sense. (NC I, 106, ft. 1)

He says that the supratemporal heart is not to be seen in terms of static eternity. Instead, “the central sphere of human existence is in the full sense of the word a dynamic one” (NC I, 32). It is only in this dynamic sense that we can speak of “soul,” as the religious center of our existent (NC II, 111). .

Dooyeweerd rejects Heidegger’s idea of a static givenness or Vorhandenes (I, 79). This is key in his debate with modern existentialism.

Scientific experiments do not disclose a static reality, given independently of logical thought (NC I, 561).

But sometimes Dooyeweerd speaks of stasis in more positive terms. Dooyeweerd speaks about “static clarity” in II, 420. I believe that this can be explained if we regard enstasy as a “true stasis” in the sense that Baader speaks about.

…memories and prophecies of true stasis, as well as an anticipation of that integration and centering of humans, without which (as religion teaches) there can be no integration of creation itself. (Philosophische Schriften II, xxvii).

True stasis is relates the center to the periphery, but in a state of rest.

Revised Jan 29/08
Ju14/11 Added reference to 2011 article; Dec 24/16