What is the Realist response to the verification and falsification principles?
The analogy of trust – Basil Mitchell.
What does Basil Mitchell argue about religious language?
Religious language can be falsified – religious believers understand how the problem of evil can falsify their belief but still maintain faith.
What does John Hick argue about religious language?
Eschatological Verification – religious language can be verified in principle – something that will be revealed later, in this case after death, but this cannot be falsified.
What is the counter to Hick’s Eschatological Verification?
The principles only apply to this world.
What is a BLIK according to Hare?
A particular view about the world that may not be based on reason or fact. It cannot be verified or falsified.
What does Hare suggest about how humans develop bliks?
From an early age all humans develop specific views of the world.
What does Hare say about why we hold bliks?
It just is and we don’t need to explain why we hold our ‘blik’.
Give two examples of bliks.
“If I go on a flight it will crash.” / “If I go on a ship it will sink.”
What are examples of religious bliks?
An atheist blik / Christian blik – for example, “God exists.”
Why might bliks seem silly to outsiders?
They might seem silly to the outside world but are deeply meaningful to believers.
What does Hare argue about religious language?
Religious language is not verifiable or falsifiable, however it is still deeply meaningful.
What story does Hare use to demonstrate bliks?
The parable of the paranoid student.
What happens in Hare’s parable of the paranoid student?
A student believes his teachers (dons) are trying to kill him and no evidence can convince him otherwise.
Why is the student’s belief unfalsifiable?
No matter how pleasant the teachers are, he thinks it’s a ruse to disguise their murderous intentions.
What does this show about unfalsifiable beliefs?
They cannot be proven false and assert nothing according to Flew.
What does Hare say unfalsifiable beliefs do?
They make a big difference – they affect behaviour and show meaning through actions.
What does Hare conclude about “meaningful belief”?
Meaningful belief needs to include more than just being falsifiable – a non-falsifiable belief can still be meaningful.
What criticism is made of Hare’s analogy?
Is Hare comparing a religious believer to a paranoid student?
What does Hare argue about Flew’s definition of meaning?
Flew’s definition of meaningful is far too strict.
How does Hare respond to this criticism?
Even lunatic beliefs are meaningful – they tell us about a person’s state of mind and behaviour.
What is religious language?
“God talk” – language used in holy books, prayers, and worship.
Why is religious language important to people?
It expresses belief, values, and relationship with God.
What threat do the verification and falsification principles pose?
They claim religious statements are not meaningful because they cannot be empirically tested.
What are the five PEACE paragraphs for this essay?
Verification/Falsification, Bliks, John Hick, Basil Mitchell, and Language Games.
