via negativa

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  • Created by: Emily
  • Created on: 26-04-18 13:30
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  • Via Negativa/The Apophatic Way
    • Weaknesses
      • Brian Davies: talking in negative terms opens up numerous possibilities of what God could be; not defining at all.
      • Univocalists – talk of God must be literal and used in the same way as ordinary language to avoid agnosticism.
    • Strengths
      • Gives a language that can be used to talk about God, as saying what God is my cause dispute.
      • Does not give false certanties.
      • It avoids being anthropomorphic (human-based) and focuses on a transcendent God.
    • Definition
      • Describes God in terms of what he is not, eg. God is not malevolent.
      • Positive statements about God will be inaccurate as we can not comprehend Him; language is too weak.
    • Philosophers/ key thinkers/ scholars.
      • Pseudo Dionysius the Aeropagite
        • God doesn't exist, as 'exist' is a physical object description.
        • God doesn't exist in the same way we do, exist is the wrong word to use.
        • 'God is the universal cause of existence, while itself existing not, for it is beyond all being' - On The Divine Names.
        • Used Via Negativa the emphasise the transcendence of God.
      • St John of The Cross
        • a mystic, emphasises on-verbal experiences of God (mystical).
        • tried to express in words the experience of mystical communion with Christ in poetry form.
      • Moses Maimonides
        • A Guide for The Perplexed
          • "God has no positive attributes... the negative attributes of God are the true attributes."
          • "There is no similarity in any way whatsoever between Him and his creatures... the difference them... is absolute."
      • Plotinus
        • A Neo-Platonist suggests God is ultimate and indescribable, only experienced by a mystical experience.
        • Experience of the One is self-attesting.
        • No logical reasoning or evidence is applicable/ needed.

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