Analogy Flashcards
Analogy of attribution is establishing a relationship between to compared things.
A healthy diet maybe said to be healthy because the person following the diet is healthy.
God can be said to be good because he is the source of all Goodness.
The relation of the two terms are of causality.
Analogy of proportion is when we use words in proportion to the nature of the thing being described.
A banana is said to be good in proportion to a good banana. A human is said to be good in proportion to have the conscious but finite nature of a human being.
Things can only be as good as what they are.
Scotus - connection of being between two things rather than jut a causal relationship. This must imply a form or univocity.
Aquinas - words are used neither univocally nor equivocally but analogically.
The order of relation between God and humans allows for the use of analogy or proportion. This is imperfect but allows us finite beings to speak of the infinite.
Ian Ramsey
Words such as Good and wise are models which have to be qualified using words such as infinite or eternal.
The models are then used in proportion to God as opposed to the proportionality of Humans
Strengths-
Provides an appropriate way to speak of God that is not empty nor taken literally.
It goes beyond the complications of describing God using Univocal or Equivocal language
We can talk of God as revealed in scripture
Weaknesses-
For analogy to work it must apply univocally. We must know what it means to attribute God.
We can speak of God’s goodness and our goodness using univocally language- Swinburn
We know too little about God for analogy to have any real meaning. We do not know God.
To talk of and infinite God as finite beings we must apply an analogical approach.
Aquinas rejected using univocal language because attributes of God are part of the necessary essence of God.
Aquinas rejected equivocal language because we could never know anything about God
Analogy provides a middle ground between equivocal and Univocal language in which we can discuss God without taking the words we use literally.
