RST3708 Postmodern Philosophy of Religion (2021 - Semester 1 & Semester 2 - October/November Examination Question Paper)

RST3708 – Postmodern Philosophy of Religion 2021 – Semester 1 & Semester 2 – Examination Question Paper Instructions for answering this portfolio question paper: This portfolio comprises TWO sections, Section A and Section B. Answer THREE questions, one from Section A and two from Section B. Section A which is compulsory carries 20 marks and Section B (options) carries 40 marks each. Total 100 marks Question 1: Discuss similarities and differences in the postmodernist and twentieth century philosophies of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Foucault, Arendt, and Russell as they relate to the concept of god/God. For example, you may want to compare and contrast Nietzsche and Heidegger’s views of God, those of Sartre and Foucault, and the ideas of Arendt and Russell in this regard. Question 2: Write an essay in which you, on the basis of Chidester’s analysis, discuss WEB Du Bois’ changing views on African indigenous religion with respect to the fetish, God and its relationship to the Black Church in the USA. Question 3: This question consists of two parts. Please answer both questions: a) Discuss Frantz Fanon’s characterization of the colonial black self-understanding. b) According to Fanon, how should Africans respond to the colonial dehumanising tendencies? Question 5: Discuss one of the following in essay form 1) How did the philosophers, Al-Kindi and Al-Farabi, develop Islamic neo-Platonism 2) “Practice in Islam is its own philosophy”. Discuss. Question 6: Discuss one of the following in essay form: 1) the critique of Islamic neo-Platonism by the Muslim thinker, Al-Ghazali 2) How the Perennialist school views modernity Question 7: Write an essay in which you compare the concepts of self in Hinduism and Buddhism. Question 8: Write an essay discussing the differences between conceptions of deity in Hinduism and Buddhism. Question 9: Write an essay that distinguishes the different understandings of dharma, karma and liberation in Hinduism and Buddhism.