Phil HL - Religious Language - Language Games (Ludwig Wittgenstein)

Wittgenstein
1. Picture Theory of Meaning
  1. language is a way of representing facts, everything else is nonsense
  2. failed to capture complexity of language
    1. We need to be alive to the vagueness of words
2. The meaning of a word is it's use in language
  1. for a meaning we should look for how it's used, there are many functions
Language games
1. different uses of language are activities that take place in different social contexts
  1. governed by certain rules, vary from context to context
    1. some rules we just have to accept
2. to use it you must understand how it works
  1. you can be told the name of a chess piece but you can't play if you don't understand the rules
  2. to understand it you must attempt to use it (to understand a train's controls you must drive the train)
3. different meanings depending on context
  1. RESULT
    1. to an athlete
    2. to a student
    3. to a scientist in a medical lab
Advantages
1. Highlights non-cognitive nature of language (many meanings)
2. introduces boundaries in language
3. people can be introduced to the rules of language in a religion
4. shows language can be true in one context but false in another
Disadvantages
1. doesn't allow for believers' claims to be empirically tested
2. religious language alienates those outside the game
3. you can't change the rules to allow outsiders in

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