Hare's non cognitive approach Flashcards
What does Hare critique about Flew and Ayer?
He says they’re wrong in their foundational assumption that religious language is an attempt to describe reality.
What is religious language to Hare?
Religious language expresses a non-cognitive attitude which he referred to as ‘Blik’
What does religious language affect?
Human behaviour and mentality and therefore making it meaningful to those who have it.
What is type of language is religious language to Hare?
Non-Cognitively meaningful.
How did Hare illustrate his arguement?
The story of a student with an attitude of paranoia who believed his professor was trying to kill him.
What does Hare’s story show?
Religious language is just like the story, an expression of a personal attitude/ feeling.
What is the critique of Hare’s theory?
Many religious believers would not accept it as they would argue that they aren’t just expressing their personal feelings, they’re expressing a cognitive belief in god, like Aquinas’ Cosmological Argument; it’s not just his personal belief it’s a cognitive belief in god.
Defence of Hare.
Religious people may argue that they’re describing reality however they are arguably just describing their reality as an expression of their own personal feelings and attitudes- their blik.
