Religous Language Flashcards
What is the difference in cognitive & non-cognitive language?
Cognitive - expresses knowledge & facts.
Non - Expresses things which we could never know to be true, e.g. feelings, values, metaphysical claims.
Is ‘God exists’ a cognitive or non cognitive?
It looks like they are expressing a cognitive belief.
Some thinkers argue that it’s really more of a non-cognitive attitude/feeling.
What were logical positivists concerned with?
The relationship between the use of language and knowledge.
They rejected anything they saw as non-cognitive claims (fact-free) as meaningless.
The LPs were influenced by Wittgenstein.
What quote from his book, Tractus, reflects a similar view?
‘Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we should be silent’
What group was verificationism invented by?
What key individual did it include?
The LP’s of the Vienna Circle.
A.J. Ayer
What did Wittgenstein suggest that is connected with meaningful language?
What we know from our senses.
How could RL link with sense experience?
“The term “God” is a…”
Language, Truth and Logic
A.J. Ayer
What does this lead Ayer to conclude?
“The term “God” is a metaphysical term. And if “God” exists is a metaphysical term, then it cannot even be probable that God exists.”
That he is not even an atheist because to say you do not believe in God, you are giving the term meaning.
“the fool says, in his heart, there is no God”
Ayer created the Verification Principle.
What does this principle state?
“A statement which cannot be conclusively verified…is simply devoid of meaning.”
So, according to Ayer, for a statement to be meaningful it must be able to be demonstrated.
What are the two types of propositions that can hold meaning?
Analytic propositions
Synthetic propositions
What are each of the propositions?
Analytic - true by definition.
a) required by the definition of words used.
b) they are mathematical.
Synthetic - true by conformation of the senses.
‘No sentance which describes the…”
A.J. Ayer
“…nature of a transcendent Hod can posses any literal significance”
A.J. Ayer
What did S. Sutherland describe Ayer’s VP as?
‘conceptually restrictive and intellectually imperialistic in character’
- criticism that the VP is overly restrictive.
What did Sutherland compare Ayer’s reduction of language into empirical categories to and why?
Newspeak
Because Ayer limits the possibility of poetic language & language about the transcendent which is so crucial to human flourishing.
What is Newspeak’s goal?
To limit what people can talk about to practical empirical matters and descriptions.
Political & intellectual freedom doesn’t exist - ‘free’ would only be used in statements such as ‘this dog is free from lice.
Religion, philosophy, poetry, literature would be impossible.
How does Ayer strengthen his argument responding to criticisms of verificationism deeming historical statements meaningless because they can’t be empirically verified?
Weak verification
Ayer argues that we can weakly verify anything for which there is some evidence which provides probability, e.g. historical documents & archeological findings.
