Left Wing Fideism A Critique of Non- Cognitivism

Abstract

The non-cognitivist analysis of Religious Language often uses remarks from the later writings to Ludwig Wittgenstein to try and build a non-cognitivist apologetic for Christian belief. The “Concept of Prayer” by D.Z. Phillips represents this approach to the analysis of Religious Language. The crucial defect in Phillips account of the logic of religious language is that he assumes that it is single leveled. Once ‘depth’ grammar has revealed what logic of God is like, this univocal logic can be applied to every religious statement, and any religious statement which does not fit into this account, must be reduced to a statement which will, or be eliminated from religious discourse. Phillips uses Wittgestein’s insight that words and statements only have meaning in the stream of life, to prop up a doctrine which leads back to the dogma, to mean is to name. This paper argues that any such approach finds it difficult not to distort the ordinary meaning of Religious Language and attempts to offer a detailed critique of this position.