4.3 language games

Question 1

Who was Ludwig Wittgenstein?

Answer 1

one of the greatest philosophers, famous for Tractaus Logico-Philosophcus

Question 2

How did Wittengenstein see language?

Answer 2

he saw language in terms of a game - to use language is to participate in games where we know and accept the rules - the rules of everyday language are neither right nor wrong

Question 3

How did Wittgenstein apply language games to religious language?

Answer 3

an atheist and a theist are playing different games - for the atheist ‘God exists’ is meaningless BUT for the theist ‘God exists’ has so much meaning
- they have different sources of knowledge + different benchmarks for what constitutes a reliable source of knowledge

Question 4

What is one of Wittgenstein’s most famous saying?

Answer 4

‘Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must remain silent’

Question 5

What does D Z Philips say about religious language?

Answer 5

• religious language is meaningful to those who genuinely use it
• statements such as ‘God is love’ are to be understood within their language game - as such it can only be judged by those who accept the rules

Question 6

What does D Z Philips argue about statements such as ‘God is love’?

Answer 6

they are expressions of belief + can only be understood in the context of that belief

Question 7

What are some strengths of language games?

Answer 7

+ highlights the non-cognitive nature of religious language
+ verification of meaning is internal to the religious language game and doesn’t need justification
+ truthfully is relative and context specific
+ cannot tests religious language in the same way as scientific language

Question 8

What are some weaknesses of language games?

Answer 8

• resembles fideism(faith must be held without the use of reason or even against reason)
• doesn’t allow for believers claims to be empirically tested
• it could separate religion from the ability to make scientific claims about the world or from engaging with science