Religious Language key terms

key terms

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  • Created by: Amy
  • Created on: 16-04-14 18:46
Verification
the ascertainment of the truth of something. It means to prove that an assertion is either true or false.
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The verification principle
The idea that the meaning of a statement lies in the method of its verification - and so that any statement that cannot be verified, even if only in theory, is meaningless. - associated with the logical positivists and their attack
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Logical Positivists
The logical positivists developed from the work of philosophers known as the Vienna Circle in the 1920s
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Univocal
language that is straightforward and clear, for example 'Paris and Rome are cities'. There is no doubting the statement as the concept of a city is unambiguous
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Equivocal
language that is unclear and ambiguous. The statement 'john is on the right' is equivocal. The meaning is unclear because right could refer to john's political views or the position in which he is standing.
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Strong verification
this occurs when there is no doubt that the statement is true, as we verify it using sense experience, that is, observation. For example 'Mary's hair is red' this can be proved true/false by seeing Mary.
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Weak verification
occurs when there are some observations that are relevant to proving a proposition true or false, but not enough to prove it conclusively. E.g 'Columbus discovered America' (accepted people were there) also 'moon is made of cheese' is meaningful
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The falsification principle
a rule, associated with Antony Flew, that the meaningfulness of a statement lies in the method of its falsification. This would mean that any statement that could not, even if only in theory, be falsified, was empty of meaning.
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Meaningfulness
making sense
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Cognitive
when applied to religious language, this communicates knowledge, information and facts about God.
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Non-cognitive
a view of religious language which argues that its function is not to inform. Non-cognitive language includes ethical or moral propositions linked to some theories of ethical language, or an expression of an emotion such as a scream.
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Anthropomorphises
Attributes human form or personality to a god, animal or object.
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Blik
the term used by R.M. Hare to denote a frame of reference within which everything is interpreted.
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Eschatological verification
a phrase coined by Hick for the idea that some statements will be proved true after death, for example there is life after death.
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Via negativa
Latin for 'negative way'. It is also known as the apophatic way and is a theology that attempts to describe God by negation, to speak of God only in terms of what may not be said about God.
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Analogical view of religious language
the view associated with St. Thomas Aquinas, that descriptive terms when applied to God mean neither the same nor something completely different than when they are applied to humanity. E.g love
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Analogy
A comparison between two things, when similarity between two things is suggested by the use of the same word.
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Metaphors
figures of speech. A word or phrase is used to denote or describe something entirely different from the object or idea with which it is usually linked in order to suggest a resemblance or analogy.
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Symbols
things that stand, or are used, in place of some other thing.
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Symbolic
a view of religious language which sees the words representing the reality to which they point, and in which they participate, but which they cannot describe. An analysis of religious language is found in the work of Paul Tillich.
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Archetypes
these can be seen as 'image generators'. They are distinct from the actual images they generate. Jung gave the technical name 'archetype' to the part of the psyche which creates these images.
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Myths
stories designed to resolve philosophical or religious problems or dilemmas.
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Aetiological myths
aetiology is the study of how things came about or are caused. Aetiological myths seek to explain the origin of the universe and its components.
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Language games
the name given by Wittgenstein to his claim that the uses of language are governed by rules, as games are governed by rules.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

The idea that the meaning of a statement lies in the method of its verification - and so that any statement that cannot be verified, even if only in theory, is meaningless. - associated with the logical positivists and their attack

Back

The verification principle

Card 3

Front

The logical positivists developed from the work of philosophers known as the Vienna Circle in the 1920s

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

language that is straightforward and clear, for example 'Paris and Rome are cities'. There is no doubting the statement as the concept of a city is unambiguous

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

language that is unclear and ambiguous. The statement 'john is on the right' is equivocal. The meaning is unclear because right could refer to john's political views or the position in which he is standing.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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