twentieth century religious language Flashcards
(17 cards)
what is logical positivism
known as the vienna circle, they were a group of mathmeticians scientists and philosophers that met in the 1930s. they analysed language to decide whats meaningful or meaningless. they used the verification principle to decide if a statement was meaningful
what was their version of the verification principle
its meaningful if it can be verified by experience, its true by definition.
what does this mean about God
this means talks about God isnt meaningful as it isnt true by definition and cant be verified through experience
however, this verification period is bad as it means historical statements are meaningless as they cant be verified by experience
what is aj ayers version of the verification principle
he developed the weak verification principle which accepted that statements are verified in principle meaning its meaningful if it can be tested or confirmed. this means historical statements can be meaningful as they can be verified in principle.
however ayers rejected this as anything can be verified in principle, hick argues the existence of God can be verified after death
what is the A03 for this
swinburne uses the toy in the cupboard analogy to state that toys are alive at night before anyone can see them . he suggests just because statements cant be empirically verified doesnt mean theyre false.
the verification principle is too narrow. brummer and dz phillips believes that sentences of faith shouldnt be treated in the same way as scientific statements.
what are language games
wittgenstein noticed the importance of context when we use language. words can be used equivocally e.g. key can mean something used to unlock something but can also be a symbol on a map.
wittgenstein argues languages are similar to games as there are similarities between phrases we use in different contexts. we will say football and rugby aregames but when you explain how theyre played you discover how different they are. in order to understand a game you need to know the rules.
this has been applied to religious language. the meaning of religious language depends on the game its spoken and understood. to say God is love is meaningful for those in the christian game but not the theist game.
those outside of the language game cant criticise it as they play a different game. one game cant be different as theyre parallel. the meaning of language is based in its context, theres no ultimate rule about how language is used, it depends on context.
religious talk is meaningless in the logical positivist game
what are the later developments of wittgenstein
don cupitt concludes all religious language is non cognitive as true or false has no universal meaning- the meaning depends on the context in which theyre used. since God only exists in some form of life he isnt an objective reality or something real outside of faith communities.
what is the A03 for language games
culpit shows how religious language is non cognitive, its true or false statements have no universal meaning, since God only exists in some form of reality he isnt an objective reality.
language games cant be accessible to everyone, in order for religious language to be meaningful people should be able to come to the same conclusion, you cant do that in a singular game
its a circular argument- the word takes its meaning from the game, the game takes its meaning from the words, which takes its meaning from the word
how is the bible interpreted
traditional interpretations accept the bible as an message from God, this is like aquinas’ view that the bible is cognitive and contains true universal teachings.
liberal interpretations see the bible as a human document, it needs to be interpreted for our own times. led to a non cognitive approach. it suggests scripture isnt making factual assertions but presenting a non literal view of the world.
fundamentalism is a more recent movement that interprets the bible as cognitive. they believe God created the world in 6 days.
what is the A03 for religious texts should be understood cognitively
religious texts transcend through time and place- they have a message relevant to everyone as they talk about God an objective reality. so it points to a universal truth
what is the falsification principle
in order for a statement to be scientific, it must be about to be proven wrong.
what is flews parable
flew argues religious believers make a scientific claim such as God loves us but refuse to accept evidence to falsify it, e.g. when faced with if God is real why is their suffering, they will say its for a reason. in the parable of the invisible gardener, the original when the lady proves him wrong, he says the gardener must be invisible. since believers dont allow anything to be testified against their statements it cant be falsified.
what is hares analogy
hare claims the students has a blik about the professor that cant be changed. hare argues religious statements are different to scientific statements as theyre bliks. they express a worldwide view or a fundamental belief, they can be sane or insane but either way they have a great effect on our lives and cant be altered as contrary evidence is ignored. hare argues flew hasnt understood how religious language works for believers, bliks cant be falsified they have a huge impact on the life of believers.
what is mitchells parable
set in the world war when partisans worked undercover against nazi occupying forces. the partisan had trust in the stranger even when theres conflicting evidence about the strangers allegiance. similarly , theologians grapple with challenges to God is loving, they dont simply discount evidence against their statements, as flew claims or refuse to acknowledge it as this would be a failure of faith and logic. mitchell argues believers dont allow evidence to count against their statements as they have an underlying reason for their faith. mitchell argues statements are based on reason so its significant.
what is the A03 for this
use mitchell and hare to evaluate
what is a cognitive approach of religious language
believers believe God is an objective truth, an actual being that exists and loves us. this approach allows everyone to access religious language. not limiting it to those in the christian game.
