via negativa
- 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."
- A Guide for The Perplexed
- 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.
- Pseudo Dionysius the Aeropagite
- Weaknesses
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