Analogy
- Created by: Nath101
- Created on: 18-12-17 17:38
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- Language as Analogy
- Analogy
- An attempt to explain the meaning of something which is difficult to understand
- by understanding
- An attempt to explain the meaning of something which is difficult to understand
- Thomas Aquinas
- Dominican Priest
- used Analogy to speak about God
- Rejected Univocal and equivocal language when speaking about God
- How can our words apply to a transcendent, infinite being
- E.G God is "good"
- How can our words apply to a transcendent, infinite being
- We cannot interpret God equivocally as it leaves us unable to understand what our words mean when applied to God
- Makes religious language meaningless
- We can talk about God though Analogy
- Understanding something complex by understanding how it relates to something simple
- We have no direct experience of God so it is hard to describe him
- Univocal
- Statements which mean the same thing for God and humans
- Aquinas rejected the idea that we could talk of God univocally
- It would be like comparing God to humans
- Aquinas rejected the idea that we could talk of God univocally
- Statements which mean the same thing for God and humans
- Equivocal
- Same word applied to God and Humans, but with different meanings
- If we speak about God equivocally, we mean that God is totally different way to humans
- Aquinas rejected this also
- " If we speak about God equivocally, we cannot say we know anything about him
- As we are saying the language we use to describe humans / World, does not apply to God
- " If we speak about God equivocally, we cannot say we know anything about him
- Aquinas rejected this also
- If we speak about God equivocally, we mean that God is totally different way to humans
- Same word applied to God and Humans, but with different meanings
- AQ believed there was a "Middle Way"
- Analogy
- Analogy of Proportion
- God is good vs My dog is good
- God is proportionally greater
- Nature of this proportion is beyond our understanding
- God is proportionally greater
- God is good vs My dog is good
- Analogy of Attribution
- Qualities we ascribe to each other are reflections of attributes of Gods
- We can attribute qualities to the nature of God by looking at what he ha screated
- Analogy of Proper proportion
- We possess qualities like God: Wisdom, goodness and faithfulness
- Because we are inferior to God, we possess those qualities in lesser proportion to God
- We possess qualities like God: Wisdom, goodness and faithfulness
- Analogy of Proportion
- Analogy
- Evaluation
- Verification can be criticised by analogy b/c it cannot be verified empirically
- Richard Swinburne argues we don't need analogy
- When we say " God is good and humans are good...
- Good applies to different things, but has a univocal meaning
- When we say " God is good and humans are good...
- Analogy
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