THE EXISTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF BERDYAEVoS IDEA OF FREEDOM BY

I wish to thank all who assisted me during the many months of researching and preparing this thesis. r am great ly indebted to Professor G A Rauche \'4ho supervi sed thi s research and who has been my teacher and mentor since my very first attempts, some years ago, to study philosophy, my great love for which he has played no small part in fostering. Under his inspiring promotion, my research was allowed to proceed freely. It is a mark of his own erudition and experience that he was able to raise the questions \'Jithout influencing my own answers. In fact, he elicited them! This research was completed with the financial help of the Human Sciences Research Counci 1 and the \'1; 11 ing assistance received from several libraries here and overseas, especially St Vladimir's Seminary in the US, which helped me acquire the primary sources for this research. Then there were several individuals \'Jho gave generously of their time and energy especially Bavani Pil)ay, Jane Abel, K Javeri of the inter-library loan department at the Uni versity of Durban-Hestv; lle and Mrs Morven Baker who typed this manuscript. To all my friends/ and family who encouraged me; n my 1aqours I am deeply grateful. The human soul is an arena in whi ch there takes place the i nterp1ay of freedom and necessity; the spiritual and the natura1 world.' When the spi ritua1 is operative within the psychi ca1g the, freedom of the spi ri t is reve1l1 ed; when it is the natural which is act; Ye, then necessity once more asserts its sway