Is postmodernist suspicion an ally of religious faith, or its deadly enemy? How can anyone doubt the value of foundations and still speak meaningfully of God, or religious faith? Alternatively, does the notion of God as foundation amount to limitation of the divine, or even idolatry? This unit looks at how postmodern thinking bids to rework some traditional connections between faith and philosophy. Canvassing the questions above, it takes the student towards the deeper question of whether theology as such can be said to help, rather than hinder, philosophical approaches to the divine.
Unit Code: AP9750P
Points: 24.0
Unit Level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit Discipline: Philosophy
Delivery Mode: Face to Face
Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College
Show when this Unit is running| 1. | Explain the meaning(s) of the term postmodern, as it informs interrelated postmodern claims for the death of God, death of the self, end of history, and closure of the book |
| 2. | Explain and evaluate Taylor's postmodern advocacy of an a/theological faith, situated in relation to alternatives, such as Jean-Luc Marion’s God without Being, and the Radical Orthodoxy school. |
| 3. | Discuss the significant philosophical commitments found expressed in the divergent approaches above and the echo in these of historically radical philosophical disagreements |
| 4. | Show a critical awareness of the theological dimensions associated with the philosophical positions studied |
| 5. | Debate, at a sophisticated level, the claim that postmodern believers' philosophico-theological premises intersect with those of agnostics and atheists |
Undergraduate philosophical studies, or comparable literary or cultural studies.
Lecturing, with discussion and a weekly tutorial. Within the semester, a postgraduate seminar at which the student presents a draft essay, and leads discussion aimed at its improvement towards a final version.
| Type | Description | Wordcount | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | First essay (3500 words), comprising written-up final version (30 %) following previous Seminar Presentation of draft (20%) |
3500 | 50.0 |
| Essay | 2nd Essay (3500 words) |
3500 | 50.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 1 Aug, 2019
Unit Record last updated: 2019-09-06 09:49:02 +1000