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Portrait of Jan Christiaan Smuts

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Jan Christiaan Smuts

1870-1950 · South Africa

Philosophy

Philosopher of Holism and Prominent Statesman

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Who they were

The life behind Jan Christiaan Smuts’s ideas

Jan Christiaan Smuts is presented in the Thought archive through philosophy, south africa. The recorded life dates are 1870-1950. The profile connects this work to Political Philosophy.

The surviving reading path begins with Holism and Evolution, An Inquiry into the Whole, Freedom, The Folly of Neutrality - Speech by the Prime Minister. The profile’s recorded contributions trace the lasting significance of the work.

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Jan Christiaan Smuts was a South African statesman, military leader, and philosopher, born on May 24, 1870, and died on September 11, 1950. He was educated at Victoria College, Stellenbosch, and later at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he studied law. Smuts played significant roles in South African and British politics, notably during the Second Boer War and both World Wars. He is best known for developing the concept of holism, which he detailed in his seminal work, 'Holism and Evolution'.

Tradition
South Africa
Discipline
Philosophy
Life dates
1870-1950

The questions they explored

What kept them wondering

  • The argument of Holism and Evolution
  • The argument of An Inquiry into the Whole
  • The argument of Freedom
  • The argument of The Folly of Neutrality - Speech by the Prime Minister
  • Political Philosophy as a method

Orbit of influence

Everything Jan Christiaan Smuts is connected to

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Jan Christiaan SmutsFrederick DouglassPierre BourdieuMax WeberRosa LuxemburgMary Parker FollettClara Zetkin
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Ideas in motion

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