Wittgenstein on Religious Belief

Wittgenstein's philosophy of religion is influential and contested, but his conception of religious belief is a third way that does not fall into the trap of assimilating or reducing beliefs to attitudes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Wittgenstein, renowned for his profound and intricate contributions to philosophy, left relatively little written work on the philosophy of religion. Despite this, his conception of religious belief has exerted an immense influence and sparked intense debates in contemporary scholarship. In the realm of contemporary literature, Wittgenstein has been variously described as a fideist, a non-cognitivist, and even a relativist of sorts. However, this Element contends that all of these interpretations are misguided and fundamentally at odds with Wittgenstein's entire later philosophy. It further argues that Wittgenstein presents us with a crucial third way of understanding religious belief, one that avoids the pitfalls of either assimilating religious beliefs to ordinary empirical or scientific beliefs or reducing them to mere expressions of certain attitudes.

Wittgenstein's approach to the philosophy of religion is characterized by his emphasis on the language and culture of religious practices. He believed that religious beliefs are deeply intertwined with the ways in which people communicate and interpret their experiences. According to Wittgenstein, religious beliefs are not merely mental constructs or ideas but rather are part of a broader cultural and linguistic context. This means that they cannot be understood solely through rational analysis or scientific inquiry but require a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical factors that shape them.

One of the central themes of Wittgenstein's philosophy of religion is the idea of "language games." According to Wittgenstein, language games are social practices that involve the use of language to communicate and interpret experiences. These practices are not governed by logical rules or universal principles but are rather shaped by the cultural and historical context in which they occur. For example, religious beliefs are often expressed through language and rituals that are specific to a particular religious tradition. These language games are not arbitrary or subjective but are rather part of a shared cultural understanding of the world.

Wittgenstein argued that religious beliefs are not necessarily true or false but rather are part of a language game that is played by individuals within a particular cultural and historical context. He believed that the truth or falsity of religious beliefs is not determined by external criteria but rather by the internal rules and conventions of the language game. This means that religious beliefs can be changed or modified through changes in the language and culture of religious practices.

Wittgenstein's philosophy of religion has been both influential and controversial. On the one hand, his emphasis on the language and culture of religious practices has helped to shed light on the complex and nuanced ways in which people understand and interpret their religious beliefs. On the other hand, his rejection of traditional philosophical approaches to religious belief has led some to argue that he is dismissive of religious belief altogether.

Despite these criticisms, Wittgenstein's philosophy of religion remains a valuable contribution to the field of philosophy. His emphasis on the language and culture of religious practices has helped to challenge traditional philosophical assumptions about the nature of religious belief and has opened up new avenues for understanding the role of religion in human life. Wittgenstein's philosophy of religion also provides a critical perspective on the relationship between religion and science, arguing that the two cannot be fully understood in isolation from each other.

In conclusion, Wittgenstein's philosophy of religion is a complex and multifaceted approach that emphasizes the language and culture of religious practices. His conception of religious belief as part of a language game has helped to shed light on the complex and nuanced ways in which people understand and interpret their religious beliefs. While his philosophy has been both influential and controversial, it remains a valuable contribution to the field of philosophy and provides a critical perspective on the relationship between religion and science.

ISBN-13: 9781009276054