Religious Language

Question 1

Non-cognitivism

Answer 1

Does not aim to literally describe how the world is - is not true or false
“ouch!”

Question 2

Cognitivism

Answer 2

aims to literally describe how the world is
is either true or false
“triangles have three sides”

Question 3

cognitivism definition

Answer 3

language that makes an assertion which is usually factual in nature that can be proved true or false by objective means

Question 4

non-cognitive language definition

Answer 4

not used to express empirically knowable facts about the external world; it expresses opinions, attitudes, feelings and emotions that cannot be held up to objective scrutiny

Question 5

falsifiable statements

Answer 5

are meaningful and capable of being true or false

Question 6

unfalsifiable statements

Answer 6

are meaningless and nor capable of being true or false

Question 7

The claim that religious language should be viewed non-cognitively is a view often associated with…

Answer 7

logical positivism and the verification principle

Question 8

what is AJ Ayer’s theory?

Answer 8

verification principle

Question 9

What is AJ Ayer’s verification principle?

Answer 9

A statement only has meaning if it is an analytic truth (a triangle has three sides) or is empirically verifiable (water boils at 100°c)

any statement that does not fir these descriptions is meaningless

Question 10

What is the problem with AJ Ayer’s verification principle?

Answer 10

W

Question 11

What is the problem with AJ Ayer’s verification principle?

Answer 11

Self defeating:
Ayer’s claim that “a statement is only meaningful if it is analytic or empirically verifiable is itself neither an analytic truth or empirically verifiable. Therefore, according to its own criteria, the verification principle is meaningless

Question 12

What is John Hick’s theory?

Answer 12

Eschatological Verification

Question 13

In what book does John Hick introduce Eschatalogical verification?

Answer 13

Faith and knowledge (1966)

Question 14

Eschatological verification was written as a response to…

Answer 14

logical positivism

Question 15

What is eschatological verification?

Answer 15

A statement that can be verified after death or at the end of time

Question 16

John Hick overall argument

Answer 16

Hick agrees with Ayer and Flew that “God exists” is not empirically verifiable is this life. However, Hick argues that many religious claims are about things beyond the limits of human life. He argues such religious claims are falsifiable because it is possible to verify them after we die

Question 17

To illustrate that religious claim are falsifiable, what does Hick tell?

Answer 17

a parable of a “celestial city”

Question 18

Summarise the parable of the celestial city

Answer 18

2 men travel on road
man a = road leads to the celestial city
man b = road leads to nowhere and the journey is meaningless

if man a is correct = eventually arrive at the celestial city
if man b is correct = they will keep going forever and neither will be proved correct

Question 19

Hick’s eschatological verification conclusion

Answer 19

“God exists” is not necessarily meaningless as it is eschatologically verifiable

if “God exists” is true, then it can be verified after death
if “God exists” is false, then it is unfalsifiable

Question 20

What is R.M Hare’s “Bliks”?

Answer 20

According to Hare, religious statements are not things that can just be shows to be true or false. Instead, they are part of someone’s view of the world - Hare calls these attitudes “Bliks”

Question 21

To illustrate what “Bliks” are, what does Hare use?

Answer 21

The example of a paranoid student who thinks University lecturers are trying to kill him

Question 22

“Paranoid Student” conclusion

Answer 22

No amount of evidence/reassurance will convince the student that his “blik” is false. In other words, their blik is unfalsifiable

Question 23

According to Hare, is religious language meaningful?

Answer 23

Despite being unfalsifiable, Hare argues that bliks are still meaningful to the person who holds them. Hare argues that religious language is the same: “God exists” may be unfalsifiable to people who have this blik, but it clearly means something to them. For example, people who believe “God exists” might pray or go to Church - it means enough to them that it effects their behaviour

Question 24

Ludwig Wittgenstein theory

Answer 24

(logical positivist)
Language game (German - Sprachspiel)

Question 25

What are Wittgenstein’s language games?

Answer 25

He contends that words acquire meaning by their use - the meaning and use of language are shaped by the social activities and contexts in which it is employed

Question 26

Critique of language games

Answer 26

• how can everyone be correct (delusion?)
• reduces the word of God to that of witches and wizards

Question 27

What is the Via Negativa?

Answer 27

apophatic

Pseudo-Dionysus argued that God is “beyond every assertion”, beyond language. He therefore cannot be described in positive terms i.e by saying what he “is”. God can only be described negatively or “via negativa” by saying what God is “not”

Question 28

Aquinas’ theory of analogy

Answer 28

It is possible to speak meaningfully about God by drawing analogies between human language and attributes and the divine, recognising that our language falls short of fully capturing the nature of God

Question 29

What is univocal language?

Answer 29

Statements that have a single and unambiguous meaning for both God and humans (e.g. God’s love and my love means the same thing)

Question 30

What is equivocal language

Answer 30

The use of words and phrases that have multiple meanings or interpretations

Question 31

Why can’t we interpret God univocally and equivocally?

Answer 31

univocal = we are anthropomorphising him, how could words describing us apply to a transcendent and infinite being?

equivocal = It leaves us unable to understand what our words mean when applied to God since we do not know God - that would leave religious language meaningless

Question 32

Analogy of attribution (Aquinas)

Answer 32

We can attribute qualities to the creator of a thing that are analogous to those of its creation. We humans have qualities like power, love and knowledge, so we can conclude that our creator (God) also has qualities of power, love and knowledge that are analogous to ours

Question 33

Analogy of proportion

Answer 33

God has qualities analogous to ours but he has them in greater proportion. So God’s love/ knowledge/ power is like ours but proportionally greater

Question 34

Religious language as symbolic according to Tillich

Answer 34

Paul Tillich thought that religious language could be meaningful by being symbolic and that most religious language was symbolic. Consider what happens when a Christian looks at a crucifix. It means something to them. A crucifix is not a word, but it still inspires meaning in the mind of a person who sees it. Tillich thinks religious language functions like that - when a person hears religious language, the effect on their mind is just like the effect of seeing a crucifix. The meaning they feel is as a result of the words functioning symbolically