Language games
are not intended
to be true or false
Statements are only for
those who are within that
form of life
All language is a game, it is
not about making
universally true statments
It is to communicate
to other players of
the same game
Language is meaningful in the
context of its own language game
A non-believer will find religious
language meaningless because he
or she is not in that game
The primary purpose is not
to make factual statements
The player of one
'game' cannot criticise
another game
We can know what a word
means when it is in a context
Learning language is like
learning a game
You just accept the rules
that have been agreed by
everyone else
Language makes statements
which are groundless
Defintions are
'groundless beliefs'
They shape the way we
understand the world
Religious belief shapes the way the
world is seen in a similar way
Gilbert Ryle
'category mistake'
To enter another game
without learning other rules
and conventions
Hence you cannot criticise
another game
Each game has its own 'criteria
of coherance'
Religious Language has the
ability change the meaning
of words
So it is a game
Langauge is context
dependent
Religious Language is a
part of a way of living
No point of outsiders reading
their own meaning of the relgion
Non-Cognitive
Statements that can be interpreted in a
anti-realist way, such as symbols,
metaphors and ethical commandments.
Statements understood by the community.
The truth or falsity depends on the context.
Strengths
Peter Donovan
Language games are a useful way of
understanding how the language of
religion has a special meaning
Misunderstanding and confusion are likely to
result if statements are taken away from their
context
non-cognitive
Provides boundaries for the correct use
of langauge
Language games
defends language from
any criticisms
Religious language is
meaningful
Braithwaite
Bliks
Not trying to express knowledge
it has practical value
Religious Language is to
express ethical adherence
to a moral way of
behaving
D.Z Phillips
Because language games contain
their own rules they can't be
criticised
Weaknesses
Peter Donovan
Denies any need for religon to
be making claims about the
real world
Relion is more than a special
way of using Language
Language Games suggests
instead of being religous it is
a matter of playing with words
Religion is more than special way
of using langauge
It is not isolated from
other huamn activities
It makes claims about world & life
Does not allow for believers'
claims to be empically tested
Alieneates those
outside the game
Rules can't be changes to let
outseiders in
Interfaith dialogue
cannot take place
Religious langauge is not
totally isolated
There is 'common ground' between
real life ad religous language
What is a religous believer bacame athiest
Can they talk about the language
Non-believers are able to
understand religous langauge
Consistency does not mean truth
Non-believers maight be able to
understand religious language, they have
an objective view of the use of religous
langauge
Religious believers want their
language to be outward looking
rather than inclusive
The idea of truth becomes subjective
This can justify anything within a
language game i.e. Nazism, KKK. ISIS
Futhermore this cannot be critcised
Conceptual Relativism
You do not know if a certain
view is actually true or false