Stellenbosch University mourns passing of top academic
August 1, 2011 
17 Comments
“The sudden passing of Prof Paul Cilliers is a tremendous loss for Stellenbosch University. His knowledge of complex systems and his passion for his field of study, served as an inspiration to his students and his colleagues. Above all, he was has a thought leader who’s sharp insight will be remembered at Stellenbosch University for a long time. His death leaves a huge void.” 
This is how Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, describes the passing of Prof Paul Cilliers of the Department of Philosophy at the University. Prof Cilliers, a Professor in Complexity and Philosophy, died on Sunday – possibly of a brain aneurism. He was 55.
A celebration of his life is to be held in the Endler Hall of the Konservatorium in Victoria Street at 09:30 on Thursday 4 August 2011.
After having worked as a research engineer for over a decade, specialising in computer modelling and pattern recognition using neural networks, Professor Cilliers obtained his PhD in Philosophy (supervised by Johan Degenaar of Stellenbosch and Mary Hesse of Cambridge). He was appointed in SU’s Philosophy Department in 1994, he received the Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award in 2007 (he spent a year at the Universiteit voor Humanistiek (UvH) in Utrecht, the Netherlands in 2008) and has been awarded an A-rating by the National Research Foundation in 2008. He became a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa last year.
He was recently appointed as Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Graduate School of UvH – bestowed on him, according to UvH, for his “outstanding scientific work in the domain of critical complexity thinking” and in view of the international acknowledgement that his scientific contributions enjoy. He would have lectured on and ad hoc basis at UvH for the next four years.
Together with Prof Jannie Hofmeyr of the Department of Biochemistry, Prof Cilliers was the joint project leader of SU’s Centre for Studies in Complexity (CSC). This interdisciplinary initiative was established in 2009 and forms part of SU’s HOPE Project, a university-wide programme through which the institution is using science to address some of the country’s and continent’s biggest challenges.
“Paul Cilliers was a remarkable Renaissance man and one of the most important academics and Afrikaner intellectuals that this country has produced. I had the privilege of knowing him for close on thirty years as friend, colleague and soul mate with a shared love of ideas, music, food, social interaction and a burning interest in complexity and complex systems,” Prof Hofmeyr said.
“Three years ago the University offered us the opportunity to realise our dream of a formal association across faculty borders with the creation of the Centre for Studies in Complexity where we have been able to grow as an axis, not only for students of both the humanities and the sciences, but also for academics and interested parties from a number of disciplines. Paul was a catalyst for this process and an inspiration to all of us involved.”
Prof Cilliers was the author of Complexity and Postmodernism. Understanding complex systems (1998, Routledge) which Prof Hofmeyr describes as a key text still used all over the world. Together with Ms Rika Preiser, also of the Centre for Studies in Complexity, he was the editor of Complexity, Difference, Identity. An ethical perspective (2010, Springer).
“In his great number of articles and chapters in books, he applied his deep insight on a wide variety of the problems of our modern world. Over the last few years, he focused his research on the ethical aspects of complexity, a topic that his students will now have to take further,” Prof Hofmeyr added.
“Paul was a family man, a lover of music, a fine cook, a wine expert, a reader with an appetite for books that I have never seen before, one of our foremost book critics and columnists. His passing is an immeasurable loss for the academic community, family and friends.”
He leaves his wife, Sandra, and two adult children.
Paul’s sudden passing is still highly surreal for me. Only a year ago he was my co-supervisor for my Ph. D on his favourite subject – complexity- and we in Utrecht were all looking forward to his return in September for the upcoming conference on empathy with Frans de Waal. I still feel like I’m waiting for a plane that has just been reported to have crashed, but where you still look outside waiting for it to land safely.
The only small consolation I can find right now is that he was doing things that he loved to do, and that his work and mind was recognised by scholars and thinkers worldwide.
Paul, I hope that the motley crew of complexity thinkers will be able to do justice to your pioneering work! We’re already missing you, while waiting for the ‘plane to land…
While on a mountain hiking tour in my beloved Swiss Alps I learned about Paul’s sudden and untimely death; only now that I am back on the net I can try to at least express my thorough sadness. The academic world has lost an eminent scholar and an extremely creative mind; my wife Ellen and I have lost a friend. From the very moment we first met in 1994 a philosophical interaction started which I had hoped would last for much longer than it did. But as the buzzword of Paul’s academic life, “complexity”, already indicates: one has to accept the facts which one can neither fully understand nor explain.
Paul, je wordt nu al zo vreselijk gemist hier door je Utrechtse vrienden. We herinneren ons zwerftochten langs Utrechtse kroegen, concerten in het Muziekcentrum en bezoek aan een optreden van Gert Vlok Nel in Rasa met borrel na, verrukkelijke door jou bereide maaltijden op jullie Utrechtse huisadres Achter St. Pieter, gesprekken over muziek en literatuur en we herinneren ons de lol die we met je gehad hebben. Troost is het besef dat je je veel te korte leven voor 1000 procent geleefd hebt.
This comes as a big shock to me. My condolences for Paul’s family, friends and colleagues. I only met Paul during one conference (last year in Utrecht) but I immediately could appreciate him as a very open, social, warm person. For quite some time before I met him Paul ‘s work already was of great inspiration to my own work. His crystal clear, intelligent and critical view on complexity is of great value, both for science and society. I hope that the community of critical complexity thinking that he helped taking shape will continue to build on his work and further develop it in the spirit of his thinking and his warm personality.
My most profound sympathy to Paul’s family and all those who knew him. This is a great loss to humanity as a whole.
Paul was a mindful, good man and he leaves us with so much to celebrate and so much to mourn the loss of. He was a man who had a love of truth and a deep understanding of what it is to be human.
I guess if he could hear me I would say –as he always did on leaving- “Go well!”
Paul was al vele jaren een collega en vriend, al woonde hij ook 10.000 kilometer verder. Nog maar enkele jaren geleden bracht hij samen met zijn vrouw Sandra een heel jaar in mijn stad Utrecht, Nederland door, en daar hadden we intensiever contact. Een filosoof en wetenschapper die niet alleen beschikte over dossierkennis, maar ook over zelfkennis en relativeringsvermogen; daarnaast een levensgenieter en uitstekende kok. Kortom alles wat je van een vriend zoal hoopt.
The Department of Philosophy will pay homage to Prof Cilliers at a separate event to be held at 13:00 in Room 230 in the Arts Building on Thursday 11 August.
Had I only known about the celebration at the Endler earlier! I would really have liked to have been there. Prof. Cilliers was a most inspirational man. Though it was only for one semester during undergrad, I count it an honour to have been taught by him at all.
My thoughts & prayers are with his family & friends.
My favorite person to share a galjoenbraai and good sauvignon blanc with … and (by the way) to solve the problems of the universe with. RIP.
My heart goes out to those he has left behind. It is really difficult to comprehend what happened. Although I keep asking why, there is no answer. In the emptiness, we will have to find our way again.
I was in Paul’s ‘deconstruction’ and ‘post-modern ethics’ classes as an exchange student from Belgium in 2004.
I’m not exaggerating when I say he had the greatest influence on my intellectual views, the way philosophy should be taught as a creative process and the place of philosophy in the academic world and life in general.
His absence will shine through as a sous-rature, making a meaningful life worthwhile and something to strive for.
I’ll remember and deeply respect him in every iterable way.
The thing about Paul is not just that he was so able and productive, but he was also as the other posts here indicate such a decent man. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends – this is a great blow for them and a great loss to scholarship. Paul had the most open of minds and was a true post-disciplinarian. His work is vital to the complexity project. Often the very able are not necessarily that nice. Paul was the complete opposite, friendly, approachable and someone who went out of his way to help others. Here in the North East of England we say of somebody like that that they are fully paid up members of the human race. That was Paul.
Such terrible and unexpected news! My deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends. He was one of the brightest and nicest people that I have ever met. His measured and modest approach to highly complex issues allowed for great, creative and clarifying discussions. He was an international heavyweight in the philosophy of science and will be sorely missed by many around the world. He brought great academic credit to Stellenbosch University.
Met him only once and found him inspiring and humble. May his soul rest in peace!
To me Paul was an attentive mentor, trusted friend, a kind word, a smiling face, awsome cook, lover of music & books, who with a glance could let you know “you are important”. He had an intellect beyond measure but his humility tempered his thoughts & insights into true and ever so rare genius. He opened his arms, his heart and his family, Sandra, Ilana, Cornell & shared them with me and with many others. His company & conversation never failed to bring me joy & left me feeling better disciplined in thought & desire, inspired to be & do better. Paul’s passing leaves a massive, unfillable void in my life but my memory of him lives in me spurring me on . . . he will be with me always.
A celebration of his life is to be held at 09:30 in the Endler Hall of the Konservatorium on Thursday.
When will Prof Cilliers Funeral be? I would like to pay my respect?