Religious Language
‘whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent.’ Wittgenstein
Background
Duns Scotus argued that we use language univocally (exactly the same) and
equivocally (nothing alike) but neither work for describing God
- If language is used univocally as its used for man then God is reduced to man
through anthropomorphism
- If language is used equivocally then there is no factual content to the
statement
The Apophatic Way- the Via Negativa
- Maimonides was influenced by Aristotle who wrote, ‘evil is something fall
off its potential,’ which he thought was only possible within time and space
so God must contain no evil. M argued that therefore we can say what God is
not by saying all the state of existence that involve being evil.
- “silence is the best praise.’ M
- humans should just describe what God is not because all language we use
would be too ‘small’ for God. Negatives emphasise the difference between
humans and God (timeless, inaccessible, immortal)
- Pseydo Dionysus thought we should ‘enter a cloud of unknowing’
- ‘It cannot be spoken of and it cannot be grasped by understanding.’
Pseudo Dionysus
Strengths
1. Preserves the otherness of God and the risk of anthropomorphism isn’t there.
There is an acceptance of the mystery of God. What Otto described as
‘mysterium tremendum et fascinans’ is protected.
2. Acknowledges that human language is too imperfect to accurately discuss
what God is. ‘Where all human knowledge and comprehension cease-
there is God.’ Aquinas
3. Works well with religious experiences as it asserts knowledge of God, which
can be backed up with religious experience, rather than trying to assert
knowledge about God. In this sense, it is stating acquaintance knowledge
rather than propositional knowledge which makes it less prone to criticism
from logical positivism
4. Promotes interfaith dialogue as it stresses the importance of experience and
doesn’t attempt to make dogmatic claims about God.
Weaknesses
1. what we can say about God is limited and much orthodoxy is no longer
protected
‘whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent.’ Wittgenstein
Background
Duns Scotus argued that we use language univocally (exactly the same) and
equivocally (nothing alike) but neither work for describing God
- If language is used univocally as its used for man then God is reduced to man
through anthropomorphism
- If language is used equivocally then there is no factual content to the
statement
The Apophatic Way- the Via Negativa
- Maimonides was influenced by Aristotle who wrote, ‘evil is something fall
off its potential,’ which he thought was only possible within time and space
so God must contain no evil. M argued that therefore we can say what God is
not by saying all the state of existence that involve being evil.
- “silence is the best praise.’ M
- humans should just describe what God is not because all language we use
would be too ‘small’ for God. Negatives emphasise the difference between
humans and God (timeless, inaccessible, immortal)
- Pseydo Dionysus thought we should ‘enter a cloud of unknowing’
- ‘It cannot be spoken of and it cannot be grasped by understanding.’
Pseudo Dionysus
Strengths
1. Preserves the otherness of God and the risk of anthropomorphism isn’t there.
There is an acceptance of the mystery of God. What Otto described as
‘mysterium tremendum et fascinans’ is protected.
2. Acknowledges that human language is too imperfect to accurately discuss
what God is. ‘Where all human knowledge and comprehension cease-
there is God.’ Aquinas
3. Works well with religious experiences as it asserts knowledge of God, which
can be backed up with religious experience, rather than trying to assert
knowledge about God. In this sense, it is stating acquaintance knowledge
rather than propositional knowledge which makes it less prone to criticism
from logical positivism
4. Promotes interfaith dialogue as it stresses the importance of experience and
doesn’t attempt to make dogmatic claims about God.
Weaknesses
1. what we can say about God is limited and much orthodoxy is no longer
protected
