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Year 13 religious Language > Analogy and Symbol > Flashcards

Analogy and Symbol Flashcards

1
Q

What is Religious language?

A

Is about the way we speak about God and religious belief.

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2
Q

What does meaning mean?

A

What the statement says

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3
Q

What does Meaningful mean?

A

means that it makes sense

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4
Q

Finish off the statement religious language may have meaning but?

A

but may not be meaningful. This is because religious statements may not be verifiable.

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5
Q

What is Anti-realism?

A

Anti-realist statements are those that should not be taken literally, but are understood in other ways such as:
symbols, metaphors, myths, moral commands.

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6
Q

Religious language can also be what?

A

Cognitive statements ( realist) and Non cognitive statements ( Non-realist)

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7
Q

What is a Cognitive statement?

A

Aims to literally describe how the world is. They are true or false e.g. Ms Salamat teaches at aps or Water boils at 100’C.

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8
Q

What is a Non-cognitive statement?

A

Do aim to literally describe how the world is. They aren’t true or false, e.g. metaphysical claims

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9
Q

What will critcs of religion might emphasise?

A

The non- cognitive nature of religious language.

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10
Q

All the arguments such as ontologoical argument, cosomological argument, design argument, RE and problem of evil assume what?

A

assume a cognitivist view of religious language, they treat ‘God exists’ as a scientific empirical statement

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11
Q

Who was the philosopher who was concerned by the probllem of explaining God in human language?

A

Thomas Aquinas

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12
Q

What did Aquinas state?

A

Aquinas argued that we can’t speak about God Univocally nor Equivocally. This left Aquinas needing to find away of using language as an indirect description of God

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13
Q

What does Univocal mean?

A

Language meaning exactly the same thing in all situations e.g. black cat, black hat, black mat. means the same in each situation.

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14
Q

What is the problem of Univocal language?

A

If we say that the lesson was good, then ‘good’ means something different from saying God is good, since God is perfect and infinite. So Aquinas concludes we cannot speak of God univocally.

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15
Q

What is Equivocal language?

A

Language meaning different things in different situations, e.g. Gay can mean very different e.g. happy or homosexual

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16
Q

What is the problem of Equivocal language?

A

it makes God so different that it becomes difficult, if not impossible to understand him. So Aquinas argues we cannot speak of God Equivocally.

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17
Q

Due to the problem caused by Univocal and Equivocal language what did Aquinas turn to?

A

An analogy. It is an attempt to explain the meaning of something by comparison with an example more familiar to us.

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18
Q

What is a famous quote of Aquinas saying that analogical language uses term such as Good and love and applies them similarly to God?

A

‘the graduation to be found in things’

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19
Q

What does ‘the graduation to be found in things’ mean?

A

Analogical language is a means by which we may be compared to God in order to describe God’s nature. It uses human terms such as ‘Good’ and ‘love’ and applies them in a similar, but identical way to God. Thus, God’s love is similar to Jane, but infinitely superior.

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20
Q

What are 2 types of analogy according to Aquinas?

A

Analogy of proportionality and Analogy of Attribution.

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21
Q

What is the Analogy of Attribution?

A

Refers to the concept of derivation, meaning that the qualitites and attirbutes denoted to one another or other things are reflections of God qualities and attitibutes.

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22
Q

What is an Example the Analogy of Attribution?

A

Davies uses the analogy og bread. If we are to say bread is good, this must mean the baker is good as the bread is a product of the baker. These qualities are all shown in God.

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23
Q

What is a problem with the analogy of Attribution?

A

The world also comprises of bad, so based on the analogy of attribution, this means that qualities derived from evil, should be derived from God. This could potray God’s negative qualities because he view about God and the world is very deterministic.

24
Q

What is the Analogy of Proportionality?

A

The view that all good qualities belong infinitely to God and in proportion to humans.

25
Q

What is an example of the Analogy of Proportionality?

A

For example, a plant has a life, a human has life, God has a life, there is proportionate relationship. In the way we can understand nature of God A02: plants not proportional to a human.

26
Q

What is a problem of the analogy of Proportionality?

A

TBA

27
Q

Who made a more recent approach to analogy?

A

Ian Ramsey models and qualifiers

28
Q

What is Ian Ramsey’s models and qualifiers approach?

A

A model is an analogy that helps us to express something about God e.g. if we say ‘God is good’ the model is the word ‘Good.’ But as we are dealing with God the model needs an adaptation which is a Qualifier ( extends the model) e.g. God is an Eternal father. Father is the model but Eternal as the qualify. The qualifier totally transcends the human nature of fatherhood.

29
Q

What are strengths of an analogy?

A

1) Helps to explain difficult concepts such as God’s agapeic love.
2) Avoids anthropomorphising God and limiting him
3) Challenges the verification principle by explaining the complexity of religious language

30
Q

What are 3 weaknesses of an analogy?

A

1) Aquinas based his work upon a number of assumptions that God is ultimately respsonsible for the earth ( Darwin critiques this idea, the universe is a brute fact, suggesting analogy of P has no meaning and Purpose.
2) Makes assertions about God even though it recognises the world is limited ( e.g. Analogy of attribution suggests God is limited as there is evil in the world and must be derived from God)
3) Verification principle would critique the idea of an analogy, however it cannot be verified ( A02 critique of verification principle it cannot be verified itself)

31
Q

Who also critiques the idea of an analogy saying it is an unnecessary theory?

A

Richard Swinburne

32
Q

What does Swinburne say?

A

argues that we don’t really need an analogy at all. When we say ‘God is good and ‘humans are good, we may be using good to apply to different things, but we are using it to mean the same thing i.e we are using the word good univocally.

33
Q

What is a critique against Swinburne?

A

God’s life is greater than ours, so we must understand things in proportion to each other, an analogy reinforces and acknowledges God is infinitely better and greater.

34
Q

What would be your points for the question ‘Assess the contributions an analogical view of Religious language?

A

1) describe why Aquinas used an analogy. One problem is that the analogy shows some qualities of Good e.g analogy of attribution does tell us about the world of evil suggesting God is evil and the theory is deterministic A02: Augustine theodicy suggests evil is a privation of good suggesting evil comes from humans turning awayf from God, through free will.
2) It is based on the assumption that God is ultimately the creator of the earth, refuted by Darwin talking about evolution created the world so analogy of P has no purpose or meaning, elements of poor design shows limitedness in God. A02: the analogy helps to explain difficult concepts which Dawkins doesn’t do such as love.
3) Swinburne/ verification principle would critique the idea saying God cannot be verified ( critique of verification principle cannot be verified itself.

35
Q

What did Aquinas originally attack with the use of an analogy?

A

Via negativa

36
Q

What is Via negativa?

A

holds that God can be known yet not described. Only negative terms can be used to describe God.

37
Q

Why does Dionysisus think that via negativa is the best way to describe God?

A

This is because all languages and images about God limit God and deceive him. Link to the idea that ‘God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived’

38
Q

From Judaism who agrees with Dionysisus?

A

Maimondies agrees with him.

39
Q

What are 3 strengths of Via negativa?

A

1) Avoids anthropomorphising God and limiting Him ( pitfalls of univocal language)
2) It comes the closest to meeting the challenge eof the falsification principle ( e.g. if we found God’s body then it would falsify the statement that God is immortal)
3) Non cognitive and descriptive language is acceptable

40
Q

What are 3 weaknesses of Via negativa?

A

1) Religious believers will want to say something psotiive about God not negative. Aquinas argues this.
2) To say what God isn’t you have to have some idea about what God isn’t.
3) Verification principle will see that we cannot make judgements on something we haven’t experienced.

41
Q

Who argues for Religious language being symbolic?

A

Paul Tillich

42
Q

What does Paul Tillich say about religious language?

A

He argues that religious language is symbolic not literal

43
Q

What is a symbol?

A

is something that identifies a concept that it is referring to and also participates in meanings of that concept.

44
Q

What is the difference between a symbol and a sign?

A

A sign simply provides information such as a street sign whereas symbols go beyond to express what the believer feels about what that symbol conveys.

45
Q

Give an example of a symbol in Christianity?

A

The cross idenitifies the religion and also particptates in the important Christian concept of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, signifying salavation, sacrifice and hope.

46
Q

Give an example of a symbol in Judaism?

A

The star of David identifies the religion and also particptates in the important Judaic concept of ethical monothesism and God’s omni characterstics and promotes prayer meaning jews have an active interest in the star of David.

47
Q

What does Tillich argue about how symbols helps us describe things?

A

He argues that symbols help describe things that cannot always be expressed in words alone. The only way we can describe God in a meaningful way is through the use of symbols.

48
Q

What shouldn’t symbols be interepreted as?

A

Literally because they are subtle modes of communication about that which is beyond the factual and objective. Therefore symbols are important for RE as they are non-cognitive and go beyond our normal understanding.

49
Q

What are 3 strengths of symbols?

A

1) Symbols are organic - they change, grow and develop in keeping with the condition.
2) It avoids anthropomorphic descriptions of God
3) it binds people communities together e.g. cross, easter sunday binds people together.

50
Q

What are 3 weaknesses of symbols?

A

1) May only be properly understood by those within a restricted community ( such as Language games open to different interpretations)
2) symbols are meaningless because they cannot be verified or falsified thanks to their subjective nature ( they do not convey facts)
3) Outdated e.g referring to God as ‘father’ can be seen as too patriarchal for modern age. Feminist critique

51
Q

What is a Myth?

A

it is a complex type of symbolic language because it uses symbols, metaphors and imagery. A myth is a story or narrative that expresses a truth when it is not know for certain what actually happened.

52
Q

What is a biblical story which is regarded as a myth ( often controversially)?

A

the story of Job

53
Q

In religious language terms, the purpose of myths is to what?

A

the purpose of myths is to convey concepts which go beyond simple ideas of true or false, and try and express that which is other wordly- difficult cosmological Q’s that cannot be explained in a straightforward way.

54
Q

What are 2 strengths of myths?

A

1) memorable, accessible ( especially for children, gives reasons for acting in a good way)
2) biblical stories can be told and accepted in a scientific era of modern minds ( as they convey more than one meaning)

55
Q

What are 2 weakness of myths?

A

1) understanding the bible as a myth goes against how many people understand the bible ( e.g. communicating literal truths.
2) Rudolph Bultmann argued, in order to find out the truth God, RE should be demythologized ( the mythical language should be stripped away and myths contained in scriptures should be removed. We should n’t believe in such outdated stories in modern society.

56
Q

What is Realism?

A

deals with statements that can eb proved to be either true or false

Year 13 religious Language (6 decks)

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