Hewitt, S orcid.org/0000-0003-2720-4428 (2019) Grammatical thomism. Religious Studies. ISSN 0034-4125
Abstract
Centred on figures like Herbert McCabe, David Burrell, and Brian Davies the loose tradition known as grammatical thomism is undervalued within analytic philosophy of religion. This is particularly unfortunate, since a grammatical thomist approach offers the prospect of both a reorientation towards a more apophatic conception of God, consonant with the theology and practice of many religious traditions, and of moving beyond certain debates in the philosophy of religion. In this article, a grammatical thomist approach to the word ‘God’ is laid out: the conditions for introducing the word constrain its grammar, such that it cannot be understood as designating anything within our world. Accordingly inferential moves which we might otherwise find tempting are blocked. The result is an apophatic theology grounded in linguistic considerations. Objections against linguistic approaches to philosophy and theology, owing to Williamson and Murphy respectively, are considered and counter-arguments presented. The potential for therapeutic approaches to both the problem of evil and questions around theology and politics is then flagged.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019, Cambridge University Press. This article has been published in a revised form in Religious Studies [https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034412518000896]. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | philosophy of religion; thomism; wittgenstein; herbert mccabe; problem of evil; religious language |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > School of Philosophy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 22 Oct 2018 10:09 |
Last Modified: | 13 Mar 2019 16:11 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/S0034412518000896 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:137464 |