Includes a very comprehensive plan for a 30 mark essay for Edexcel that can easily be turned into a fully written essay.
Has a fully written introduction, conclusion and AO1 boxes explaining each topic.
Includes the topics: analogy, symbols, language games, verification & falsification.
‘Religious Language is meaningless’. Evaluate this claim. -30
marks
In your response to this question, you must include how developments in
Philosophy of Religion have been influenced by one of the following:
- Religion and Ethics
- New Testament Studies
- The study of a religion.
INTRO/ THESIS-
The problem of religious language is whether humans are able to speak
meaningfully about God, a higher, omniscient and omnipotent being,
meaningfully using the language at their disposal. Religious words and phrases
speak of things which are not easily identifiable or recognisable in ordinary
human experiences. It is thus unsurprising that many philosophers such as Karl
Popper, Thomas Aquinas and Paul Tillich have dedicated a great deal of time in
articulating different ways to show how religious language is indeed meaningful.
Religious language allows the religious believer to feel closer to God, and thus by
examining these arguments, enables the religious believer to understand their
faith better, and make their beliefs stronger.
ANALOGY
- Analogy is Aquinas’ compromise between univocal (words have only one
meaning) and equivocal (words can have two meanings).
- Aquinas distinguished between two types of analogy:
Analogy of attribution- this is the view that God is the cause of
all good things in humans.
Analogy of proportion- this is the view that all good qualities
belong to God are in proportion to humans (i.e. at a higher level
than our own).
Via Negativa
- Moses Maimonides- any attempts to describe God by likening him to
anything we can know is misguided and ultimately misleading since God
is unlike anything we can know.
- We gain a much clearer picture of God when we establish what he is not.
By ruling out what God is not, we will discover what he actually is.
- Example of describing a ship.
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
- Aquinas’ doctrine of analogy offers - Univocal language seems to be
a fair compromise between using anthropomorphic, reducing God to
language univocally or equivocally, the human level.
both of which Aquinas rejects. - Analogy leaves us with a limited
Univocal language is like everyday understanding of God, due to the
language; it is intended to be fact that it may not be possible to
literally true. make a comparison between a
- An equivocal view of religious necessary and contingent beings.
language is closely related to the This is because contingent beings,
via negativa, which holds that God cannot fully comprehend what a
can be known, yet not described. necessary being like God is, as
This position is particularly they often have mysterious
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller mariaberruti. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $8.89. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
