Language Games

Question 1

ludwig wittgenstein - language games

Answer 1

• argued that atheists and theists, when discussing matters of religion may as well be speaking in a different language, which led ludwig to develop this anti-realist/non-coghnitivst theory
• eg) if an individual attempts to play football with the rules of netball, they will become very confused
• believes non-belivers and believers are using the same words but meaning different things -> eg) dawkins referring to ‘god’ is different to Christians
• atheists are using different theories with different equipment

Question 2

ludwig wittgenstein - a game with rules

Answer 2

• suggested that truth/reality is defined by language, language is a game or a ‘form of life’ and each form has its own rules, which govern the meaning of the statements in the context of the subject
• eg word of chess ‘knight’/’pawn’, from the game’s ‘criteria of coherence’, only makes sense to those who play chess
• like a game’s rules, the rules for the use of ordinary language are neither right/wrong. merely useful for the particular application we give them

Question 2

ludwig wittgenstein - religious language

Answer 2

• extended idea of language games beyond specific words and applied it to ‘forms of life’, such as religion. the test of meaning is not the relationship between the statement and reality, but in whether others understand
• misunderstanding happens when someone doesn’t understand the rules of a language games, associated with a particular form of life in which they don’t participate, hense ‘god exists’ meaningful but not verifiable
• belief in god is apart of the language game of religion, you either adopt the game or not. the statements ‘i believe in god’ and ‘i do not believe in god’’ are not contradictory statements - they are simply different perspectives that peope take
• according to wittgenstien, trying to say something factual about god is nonsence

Question 3

d.z phillips - religious language

Answer 3

• argued that religious language is a language game as it is not grounded or criticized in reason: it is a system of its own
• statements such as ‘god exists’ are not grounded in belief, rather expressions of belief which can only be understood in the context of that belief -> ‘god exists’
• similarly, if someone thinks that a prayer is a means to obtaining something, they have misunderstood the nature of their religion, their belief has become superstition
• religious language expresses an emotional attitude and understanding of life: it is not a description of the way the world is
• god is not ‘logically prior’ to religion, something to which religion is a human response
• for a christian, ‘jesus is god’s son’ would be meaningful, for muslims it wouldn’t

Question 4

evaluation of wittgenstein argument

Answer 4

• seems to provide a powerful defense of meaning for religious statement, they are completely real for believers , for whom god is absolutely real. verification of meaning is internal to the religious language game, does not need justification by any external criteria

Question 5

religious responses to ludwig language games

Answer 5

• many religious people have responded positively to this theory. by allowing them to explore the realms of philosophy without compromising individual belief

Question 6

misscommunication

Answer 6

• can happen when using words
• eg) when someone isn’t familiar with a specific idiom: ‘its raining cats and dogs’ will have different meanings
• words people use to communicate are very important, as the listener may interpret different ideas with whom they are conveying

Question 7

cognitive ideas

Answer 7

express propositions, can be said to be true/false

Question 8

non-cognitive ideas

Answer 8

ones which cannot be said to be true/false