Date of Graduation
8-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Philosophy
Advisor/Mentor
Minar, Edward
Committee Member
Senor, Thomas
Second Committee Member
Funkhouser, Eric
Keywords
Religious language; Religious life; Kierkegaard; Wittgenstein
Abstract
The following project analyzes religious life through the lens of religious language. Motivated by ideas of Wittgenstein and Wittgensteinians, religious language is shown to be nonsensical, and yet significant. Wittgenstein connects how we understand language with how we understand life, and this connection extends to religious life. This project offers an answer to how religious language is unique by comparing religious language to riddles and the process of answering riddles. In addition, religious language becomes understandable with imagination, a relationship with the transcendent, and an understanding of the kinds of language present in religious discourse. These ideas are solidified with the study of Kierkegaard’s Abraham. Above all, grasping the religious form of life is necessary to understanding religious language.
Citation
Hillman, L. (2024). The Riddle of Religious Language. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5402
Included in
Philosophy of Language Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons