Language as non-cognitive and analogical

Question 1

What is analogical language?

Answer 1

Statements about God aren’t supposed to be understood literally.

Compares God as to things in the within the empirical world that we can understand.

Question 2

What a Logical Positivist say about analogical language?

Answer 2

It is meaningless and no COGNITIVE claims get made- it can’t be empirically checked as true/false.

Question 3

What are the two ways to understand language that Aquinas rejected?

Answer 3

Univocal and Equivocal

Question 4

What is univocal language?

Answer 4

Language can only be understood in one way. Has ONE meaning.

Question 5

Why is univocal language not suitable to describe God?

Answer 5

We can’t apply language from the empirical world to God who is BEYOND our understanding.

Otherwise we would be anthropomorphising God.

Question 6

What is an example of univocal language applied to religion?

Why is it unsuitable?

Answer 6

God is loving.

God’s love is not the same an human’s love. His love is beyond our understanding.

Question 7

What is equivocal language?

Answer 7

Language has many possible meanings. E.g. hot can mean spicy, temperature etc

Question 8

Why is equivocal language not suitable to describe God?

Answer 8

God isn’t completely different from humans, so language about God can’t be completely different to language about humans.

Question 9

What did Aquinas therefore suggest?

Answer 9

Middle ground between two types of language. Instead, using analogies to describe God.

Question 10

How does the causal link mean we can use analogical language?

Answer 10

God caused humans, therefore we are linked to Him and have similar characteristics

Question 11

What is an example of language that shows the causal link?

Answer 11

Language like ‘God is good’ is meaningful. We can see goodness in the world that is caused by God.

Question 12

What are the two ways we can compare ourselves to God?

Answer 12

Analogy of attribution.
Analogy of Proportion

Question 13

What is the Analogy of Attribution?

Answer 13

Comparing God to things in the world a he’s the causer of them. For example, if we can have power, love and knowledge, so does God.

Question 14

What analogy did Aquinas use to describe the analogy of attribution?

Answer 14

Analogy of the bull’s urine.
If the urine is healthy, we can assume the bull is healthy.

Therefore, we can relate things about material world to God.

Question 15

What is the analogy of proportion?

Answer 15

Worldly things are compared with God according to a scale.

God is greater than us, so therefore His qualities like love are also proportionally greater than humans.

Question 16

What did Ian Ramsey argue about religious language?

Answer 16

RL allows DISCLOSURE (revelation) of what has been DISCERNED (recognised) about God which leads to COMMITTMENT.

Question 17

What are the two elements of analogical language suggested by Ian Ramsey?

Answer 17

Models & qualifiers.

Question 18

What are models?

Answer 18

familiar qualities in the world that are compared with God, such as ‘good’.
A model ALONE is useless in describing God.

Question 19

What are qualifiers?

Answer 19

Adaptation of the model that makes it more understandable, such as God is INFINITELY good.

Adding qualifiers allow disclosure & insight into divine.

Question 20

What are 2 terms Ramsey uses to describe disclosure?

Answer 20

‘The penny drops’.

The ‘light dawns’.

Question 21

How does Hume criticise analogical language?

Answer 21

We do not fully know what constitutes God or what we mean when we talk about God.

Therefore, how can we compare ourselves to God if we don’t fully know what He is?

Question 22

What is another criticism of analogical language? (empiricism)

Answer 22

We have no empirical knowledge about what makes up God.

So, our comparisons between humans and God may be incorrect.

Question 23

What is another criticism of analogical language? (evil)

Answer 23

If God is causally related to the world, all evil can also be compared to him.

Question 24

What is another criticism of analogical language? (God’s existence)

Answer 24

Analogy relies on the existence of God. But we cannot verify or falsify His existence.

Question 25

What is another criticism of analogical language? (equivocal language)

Answer 25

The best way to describe God may be equivocally because God is different from us.
Using equivocal language to show that God has qualities that are different to humans.

e.g. ‘God is good’ is different to describe Him bc his ‘good’ is greater than our good.

Question 26

What is one way Aquinas’ views help to understand religious TEACHINGS?

Answer 26

• Means claims about God are less ridiculous

Question 27

What is another way Aquinas’ views help to understand religious TEACHINGS?

Answer 27

Means we can know some facts about God, but acknowledges not everything.

We know God’s goodness is greater than ours, just not to what extent.

Question 28

How do Ramsey’s views help to understand religious TEACHINGS?

Answer 28

We know how to interpret analogy and get a better insight into the divine.