Everybody is welcome to join the next History of Philosophy Research Seminar held on November 15th at 3:15 p.m. The guest speaker is Hanne Appelqvist (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies) with her talk "Wittgenstein on the Ineffability of God".
The place: University of Helsinki main building, Fabianinkatu 33, 4th floor, faculty hall (F 4038).
Abstract:
An often-heard objection to Wittgenstein’s remarks on religion is that their portrayal of religious faith is, if not contradictory, at least far removed from the lived reality of the faithful. The contrast is taken to be especially stark in the case of Wittgenstein’s early philosophy, which many read as expressing a non-cognitivist view of religion. After all, in the Tractatus Wittgenstein explicitly denies the sensicality of religious statements and in the “Lecture on Ethics” suggests that the core claims of Christianity should be read as allegories of subjective experiences of absolute value. In this paper, I argue that although many practicing Christians would undoubtedly find Wittgenstein’s view of religion alien to their own experience, it does not radically diverge from the understanding of Christianity by some Christians. In fact, Wittgenstein’s remarks on religion come surprisingly close to an early influential theological tradition known as apophatic theology. Drawing on the Kantian interpretation of Wittgenstein's early philosophy, my paper aims at showing how Wittgenstein's early position reflects the apophatic view and may even be read as a philosophical articulation thereof.
The seminar is open to all interested parties!
Don't hesitate to contact Ritva Palmén (ritva.palmen@helsinki.fi) with any questions about the current or upcoming History of Philosophy Research Seminar events!