Theme 4 Religious Langauge Flashcards
What is the main issue with religious language?
Whether religious language is meaningful or meaningless, given that it discusses non-empirical, often transcendent concepts.
What is the Verification Principle
states that a statement is only meaningful if it can be verified through sense experience or is a tautology.
What challenge does the Verification Principle pose to religious language?
Religious statements, like “God exists,” cannot be empirically verified, so according to this principle, they would be considered meaningless.
Who are the main proponents of the Verification Principle?
A.J. Ayer and the Logical Positivists.
What is the Falsification Principle?
A statement is meaningful only if it can be proven false by empirical evidence. If no evidence can count against it, the statement is meaningless.
Define Cognitive Language
Language that can be assessed as true or false, often associated with factual claims.
Define Cognitive Language
Language that can be assessed as true or false, often associated with factual claims.
Non-Cognitive Language
Language that expresses feelings or attitudes rather than factual statements; often subjective.
Who was Anthony Flew and what was his view
Introduced the Falsification Principle, arguing that for religious claims to be meaningful, they must be falsifiable.
What was The University Debate
The discussion among scholars about the meaningfulness of religious language, particularly the tension between cognitive and non-cognitive approaches, and whether religious statements hold objective truth or subjective meaning.
Which 3 key scholars were part of the university debate
Basil Mitchell, Antony flew, RM Hare
What analogy does flew use?
Two explorers in a jungle and beat whether there is a Gardner
What analogy does RM Hare use
The lunatic who believes all the dons are out to kill him
What analogy does Basil Mitchell use
The strange who meets the resistance fight who claims he is fighting in his side
How does warburton apply the falsification to religious language ?
Warburton applies the falsification principle to religious language, arguing that many religious statements are vague and cannot be definitively proven false. This challenges their meaningfulness, as claims like “God loves everyone” cannot be easily tested against evidence.
What did Thomas Aquinas rogue about religious language
Aquinas argued that we can speak about God using analogies. While human language is limited, we can describe God in terms of qualities that we understand (like goodness or wisdom), recognizing that these qualities exist in a greater, perfect form in God.
What did Ian Ramsey argue
Ramsey argued that religious language arises from human experience of the divine. It is not just a set of statements but is rooted in personal encounters and relationships with God, making it more meaningful to believers.
Who is Ian Ramsey?
Ian Ramsey was a British theologian and philosopher known for his work on religious language.
What is the main focus of Ian Ramsey’s research?
Ramsey focused on the nature and function of religious language.
True or False: Ian Ramsey believed that religious language is purely symbolic.
False
What term did Ian Ramsey use to describe the ways in which religious language can convey meaning?
Ramsey used the term ‘models’ to describe how religious language conveys meaning.
Fill in the blank: Ian Ramsey argued that religious statements are often _____ of divine realities.
models
What is one key concept in Thomas Aquinas’s approach to religious language?
Aquinas emphasized the analogy of being, suggesting that human language can refer to God in an analogous way.
True or False: Aquinas believed that we can speak of God in a univocal way.
False
What is the significance of ‘analogy’ in Aquinas’s religious language?
Analogy allows us to speak meaningfully about God while acknowledging the limitations of human language.
What does Ian Ramsey mean by ‘qualified’ models?
Qualified models are those that are adjusted to reflect the limitations of human understanding when speaking about God.
Choose the correct option: Which philosopher’s view does NOT support the idea that religious language can be fully understood? A) Ian Ramsey B) Thomas Aquinas C) Logical Positivists
C) Logical Positivists
What is a key difference between Ramsey and Aquinas regarding religious language?
Ramsey emphasizes the functional aspect of language, while Aquinas focuses on the analogy of being.
Fill in the blank: Aquinas’s view is that human language about God is _____ rather than direct.
analogical
True or False: Ian Ramsey’s models of religious language are static and unchanging.
False
What does Ramsey suggest about the context of religious language?
Ramsey suggests that context is crucial for understanding the meaning of religious language.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following best describes Aquinas’s view of God? A) Transcendent B) Immanent C) Both A and B
C) Both A and B
How does Ian Ramsey’s view of religious language differ from logical positivism?
Ramsey argues that religious language has meaning, whereas logical positivism claims it is non-cognitive and unverifiable.
Fill in the blank: According to Aquinas, we can know God through _____, but not fully comprehend Him.
reason
What is one critique of Ian Ramsey’s model of religious language?
Some argue that his models remain too abstract and do not adequately capture the complexity of divine reality.
True or False: Both Ian Ramsey and Aquinas agree that religious language can convey truth about God.
True
What is the main purpose of religious language according to Ian Ramsey?
The main purpose is to express and communicate experiences of the divine.
Multiple Choice: Which concept is NOT associated with Aquinas’s view of religious language? A) Univocal language B) Analogy C) Metaphor
A) Univocal language
What does Ian Ramsey mean by ‘theological models’?
Theological models are conceptual frameworks that help believers understand and articulate their experiences of God.
