posted October 20, 2004
Write a 5-7-page paper on one of the topics below. (Be sure to indicate which of the topics your essay is on.)
Along with your essay, please submit an outline
that serves as a guide to what you do and in what order.
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1.
In the chapter on "The Idea of the Messiah and
Mankind," Hermann Cohen writes that "Throughout the
Middle Ages the gravest antinomy surges between the particular
peoples and the one Christian world" and suggests that even
"in the present day," this antinomy has not been
"overcome" but is instead "merely glossed
over" (240, translation slightly modified). The trajectory
of the two "Messianism" chapters, however, suggests
that Judaism, as understood by Cohen, presents an alternative to
this antinomy.
With careful attention to the text, explain both the "antinomy" Cohen has in mind and the "solution" suggested by his reading of Jewish sources. Conclude with your own assessment of the problem: How does the antinomy (or opposition) between particular peoples and the idea of one world affect our present day? Does Cohen offer a solution that would be useful for "overcoming" it? Why or why not?
2.
What is religion for Martin Buber? Consider his view that
"The realer religion is, the more it means its own
overcoming: it wants to cease being the special domain 'Religion'
and wants to become life." ("Religion and
Philosophy," 34, translation modified).
Write an essay on "Religion and Philosophy" focusing on the concept of 'religion', both on how it arises and persists as a meaningful category, and on how it consists in "its own overcoming." You may also find it useful to refer to passages in I and Thou.
If religion is "the redemption from all that is specific" (ibid.), does it still have a specific meaning?
3.
According to Martin Buber's "Religion and
Philosophy," "real religion" is the sphere of
lived concreteness, and the real God (the "eternal
Thou" in the terminology of I and Thou) is
encountered and addressed by man. Hermann Cohen posits a
"religion of reason" which takes account of man not
merely as an instance of the abstract concept of
"humankind" but as a concrete individual, in
"correlation" with a God who is more than a mere
"ideal" (Religion of Reason, 20 ff.). Further,
Buber's "religion" is an unknowable mystery
("Religion and Philosophy," 36), whereas
"knowledge" is at the heart of Cohen's understanding of
religion.
Write a paper on these two approaches to religion, paying close attention to the relevant texts. Questions you might consider include: To what extent are Buber and Cohen talking about the same phenomenon when they discuss "religion"? What might account for their different approaches? In what respects do their conceptions (either Cohen's or Buber's or aspects of both) help us come to a better understanding of what religion is? If you think neither conception is helpful for a contemporary understanding of religion, explain why this is.
4.
Propose your own topic, based on one or more of the texts we have
read, in consultation with me. If you choose this option, please contact
me about it by Friday, October 22 (e.g., by writing me an e-mail about your
initial idea, and letting me know how you can best be reached by phone to talk
about it) with the aim of discussing it further and obtaining approval on your
topic on Monday, October 25 in office hours or by phone.
| Papers are due on Monday, November 8, in my department mailbox. |