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Essay Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Nature of Religious Language

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Ludwig Wittgenstein once believed that language's function was to name objects and the meaning of language was found in the objects for which it stands. He later rejected this and centred on how language works and is used, believing that problems of religious language come from misunderstanding its usage. Wittgenstein was no longer concerned with the truth or falsity of language but the way it is used and the functions that it performs, as he said 'Don't ask for the meaning ask for the use.'

Wittgenstein recognised that language is equivocal as words have many different meanings, such as the word 'pen' whose meaning changes in different contexts.

He saw language as a game, which like …show more content…

The term 'language games' implies that it is part of an activity. He argued that is usage and meaning is dependent upon its function and society uses language in a specific and agreed way. Wittgenstein called these rules 'grammar', for example, to say that 'God has big feet' is not playing to the rules of the game because a convention says it is inappropriate to God.

Wittgenstein said that 'philosophy may in no way interfere with the usage of language only describe it'. However, to change the description of a language game can have dramatic effects. D.Z. Phillips used the example of 'God is love', which he argued was not a description but a rule for how the word 'God' is to be used. Statements about religious belief are actually descriptions of the grammar of the religious game.

This implies that something cannot be both a rule of grammar and at the same time a description of reality. This approach leaves the religious language game forever defining its own rules. The question is then prompted that if religious language does not get beyond itself to explore reality, how did it get started at all.

Felicity McCutcheon drew some parallels between games and language. This led some to the view that each language games is immune from charges of incoherence and irrationality because it has its own internal criteria

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