Het vergrootglas van de geest. Een vergelijkende studie over het denken van J.P. van Praag en hedendaagse auteurs over humanisme in relatie tot spiritualiteit.

The magnifying-glass of Mind. A comparative study of the ideas of J.P. van Praag and contemporary authors on humanism in relation to spirituality. A theoretical investigation has been carried out of the views of Van Praag about humanism and spirituality in relation to those of H. Kunneman, T. Todorov and S. van IJssel. The research can be subdivided into four parts. Part I (Introduction and Chapter 1) introduces the for this study relevant concepts and a more detailed specification of the research topic, that is subdivided in three research questions. Part II (Chapters 2 and 3) contains a short bibliographical overview of the life of Van Praag, next to his theoretical point of views. Part III (Chapter 4, 5, and 6) contains the theoretical views of Kunneman, Todorov and Van IJssel. Finally, in part IV comparisons are made and conclusions will be drawn. Each chapter will be preceded by a narrative text, witnessing and representing the process of the quest and the moments of contemplation; they form also the basis for reflection and scientific insights. The aim of the research is to get insight in the theoretical viewpoints of Van Praag about humanism in relation to spirituality and whether this insight in his theoretical developments might be of interest for current debates about humanism. He could be considered as one of the leading figures in both the theoretical developments on humanistic premises and the organization of the humanistic movement in the Netherlands in the previous century.