Via Negativa 0.0 / 5 ? PhilosophyPhilosophyA2/A-levelOCR Created by: ChantalCreated on: 02-04-14 12:03 Via Negativa Since God is not in the universe he can only be spoken of in terms of what he is not Based on the principle of negation Speaks indirectly about God Uses equivocal (different meanings- subjective) language Lessens risk of anthropomorphism God is transcendent so you can’t say what he is 1 of 8 Pseudo- Dionysius God is ‘beyond assertion’ and ‘beyond denial’ therefore whatever you say about God doesn’t tell us about him God is beyond all categories of human thought Three states of knowledge in which we can know and say about God: Via negative State of affirmation Qualifying what we say about God (Ramsey) 2 of 8 Plato Like the form of the good God is metaphysical and perfect The world, in contrast, is physical and imperfect The soul can contemplate the Form of the good (anamnesis) so we can know what cant be described Religious language is non cognitive (proposition neither true/ false) 3 of 8 Plotinus Neo- Platonism Reality is derived from a single supreme something known as the good (form of good) The good: Transcends existence Is unknowable Emanates into a persons soul It’s only by mediating on higher things that one can encounter God Apothetic mediation= imageless No language that uses material images can describe God (renders myth, symbol and analogy useless) 4 of 8 Peter Cole ‘By denying all descriptions of God, you get insight and experience of God rather than unbelief and scepticism’ Denies the possibility of describing God in concrete terms Concrete terms reduce God to human level (anthropomorphism) 5 of 8 Maimonides God is wholly other, not to be comprehended by the finite mind The most of what we can say is metaphorical, allegorical or untranslatable We can know that God is but not what God is 6 of 8 Strengths Negation emphasise the unknowability of God Avoids anthropomorphism We aren’t left with inadequate ideas of God formed using limited language Supports the view that God is ineffable Conveys the transcendence of God 7 of 8 Weaknesses Says nothing about God Cannot describe God The result is a limited understanding of God Not a true reflection of how religious people speak of God Claims no positive statement can be made about God (theists disagree therefore myth/ symbol/ analogy more appealing) 8 of 8
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