The Holistic Smuts: A study in personality

Published by Human & Rousseau, 1989, hardcover, 224 pages, ex library copy with the usual labels & stamps, condition: good.

The work explores the deeply intertwined relationship between the complex personality, religious faith, and philosophical ideologies of General Jan Christian Smuts. Smutswho was a world-famous statesman, military general, and Prime Minister of South Africafamously coined the term "Holism" in his groundbreaking 1926 book, [Holism and Evolution].

Personality as the Ultimate "Whole":

Beukes explores Smuts belief that human personality is not a fragmented collection of traits. Instead, it is a synthetic, creative "whole" and the highest manifestation of the universe's evolutionary process.

The Root of His Faith:

The book places a heavy focus on the underlying religious faith that drove Smuts' life. For Smuts, Holism was not just a scientific theory; it was a deeply spiritual philosophy that unified his views on the Bible, nature, and humanity.

The Interconnected Statesman:

Beukes illustrates how Smuts applied his philosophy of parts forming greater wholes to his global politics. This mindset directly inspired his work in helping to frame the League of Nations and writing the preamble to the United Nations Charter.