20th century perspectives scholars

Question 1

scholars

Answer 1

a.j. ayer
karl popper
wittgenstein
flew
hare
mitchell

Question 2

verification

Answer 2

a.j. ayer
hick
swinburne

Question 3

hick on verification

Answer 3

eschatological verification- talk of god might be verifiable in principle- convincing evidence is not apparent now but could be in the future

Question 4

swinburne on verification

Answer 4

there are propositions which no-one knows how to verify, but are still meaningful, e.g. all ravens are at all times black

Question 5

Karl popper

Answer 5

falsification, statements are meaningful if they can be falsified

Question 6

anthony flew on falsification

Answer 6

language is only meaningful if we can conceive of some evidence which might count against it. the problem with god-talk is that it often implies it could never be falsified

Question 7

r.m. hare

Answer 7

bliks- non rational beliefs which can never be falsified, but are still meaningful because they clearly have an affect on the life of an individual.

religious language is not an attempt to describe reality but is a non-cognitive expression of a person’s blik, their feelings and attitude, therefore cannot be true or false, but affect our behaviour and beliefs and therefore are meaningful

Question 8

hick on bliks

Answer 8

religious belief is based on reason- not groundless- because they come from experiences and scripture. there is no way to distinguish between sane or insane bliks

Question 9

flew on verification

Answer 9

verification is unhelpful, as anything can be qualified under new directions until so many new requirements have been made that the original assertion has been lost completely. religious believers change the terms of their descriptions of god so that they can justify their belief/ make their statements meaningful

Question 10

basil mitchell

Answer 10

religious believers can make meaningful statements about god, because such statements can be ‘falsified’ or have suggestions made to challenge them, while maintaining belief in God despite acknowledging evidence against his existence- partisan/stranegr

Question 11

D.Z. Phillips on language games

Answer 11

religion cannot be either grounded or criticised in reason, it is a system all of its own. the reality of god or religion does not lie in the abstract issue of whether god exists, but instead is located in the words and practise of religion. what god is is defined by the language of the game of faith

Question 12

lacewing on religious language

Answer 12

religious believers use language to state truths, in both a factual and expressive way