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An exciting introduction to the contribution which the later Wittgenstein made to the philosophy of religion. Although his writings on the subject have been few, Wittgenstein developed influential and controversial theories on both religion (and magic) which emphasize the distinctive nature of religious discourse and how this nature can be misunderstood when viewed in direct competition with science. The contributors of this collection shed new light on the perennial debate between faith and reason. The result is a collection that is both informative and stimulating.
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Wittgenstein and Philosophy of Religion Wittgenstein and Philosophy of Religion Edited by Robert L.Arrington and Mark Addis London and New York First published 2001 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. © 2001 Edited by Robert L.Arrington and Mark Addis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Wittgenstein and philosophy of religion/edited by Robert L. Arrington & Mark Addis p. cm. Includes index 1. Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1889–1951—Religion. 2. Religion— Philosophy. I. Arrington, Robert L., 1938– II. Addis, Mark. B3376.W564 W546 210´.92–dc21 2001 ISBN 0-203-46258-0 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-77082-X (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-21780-6 (Print Edition) 00–055323 Contents Contributors Editors’ introduction Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1 vii ix xiii xv The gospel according to Wittgenstein 1 JOHN HYMAN 2 Wittgenstein and magic 12 BRIAN R.CLACK 3 Wittgenstein, religious belief, and On Certainty 29 IAKOVOS VASILIOU 4 Creation, causality, and freedom of the will 51 WILLIAM H.BRENNER 5 Faith: themes from Wittgenstein, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche 66 MICHAEL P.HODGES 6 D.Z.Phillips’ fideism in Wittgenstein’s mirror 85 MARK ADDIS 7 Wittgensteinian religion and ‘reformed’ epistemology 101 PAUL HELM 8 Wittgenstein and the interpretation of religious discourse 119 ALAN BAILEY 9 Wittgenstein and Wittgensteinians on religion 137 KAI NIELSEN 10 ‘Theology as grammar’: Wittgenstein and some critics ROBERT L.ARRINGTON 167 Index 185 v Contributors Mark Addis is a Lecturer at the University of Central England and the author of Wittgenstein: Making Sense of Other Minds. Robert L.Arrington is Professor of Philosophy at Georgia State University. He is the author of Rationalism, Realism, and Relativism and Western Ethics, the editor of the Blackwell Companion to the Philosophers, and co-editor of two other collections of essays on Wittgenstein published by Routledge. Alan Bailey is College Lecturer in Philosophy at Pembroke College, University of Oxford. William H.Brenner is Professor of Philosophy at Old Dominion University and the author of Logic and Philosophy and Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations. Brian R.Clack is Tutor in Philosophy at St Clare’s International College, Oxford. He is the author of An Intr