via negativa

• there are two different but complementary approaches to religion, what are these?

  the apophatic and the kataphatic way
• what is apophatic theology?

  the denial of a positive description of God
• what is kataphatic theology?

  using positive terms about God
• what way have mystics generally taken?

  the apophatic way
• Wittgenstein (interested in mysticism) ends the Tractates with what?


  a perfect definition of the apophatic way
• what is Wittgenstein's perfect definition of the apophatic way?

  "whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must remain silent"
• what is the via negativa?

  the "negative way" - to state only what may not be said about God
• who accordingly developed the via negativa?

  Pseudo Dionysius
• why did Pseudo Dionysius develop the via negativa?


  in order to emphasise the transcendence of God and therefore separate him from any literal description (which could limit him)
• Pseudo Dionysius was also a mystic, which meant that he thought what?


  that one could experience God in a personal way that went beyond the use of language
• what did Pseudo Dionysius suggest?

  that God is nameless and yet has "the names of everything that is"
• support for the via negative also comes from who?

  Maimonides
• what did Maimonides insist?

  that God was not comparable to anything else
• for example, to say that God is the most powerful being means what?

  that Gods power can be compared with human power
• what does this reduce God to?

  a thing that can be measured against anything/ everything else
• what did Maimonides therefore adopt?


  a negative theology
• how does this describe God?

  by accumulating all the negatives such as "God does not exist in space"
• Maimonides claims that only the negative attributes...?

  bring us closer to the knowledge and understanding of God
• (s) what does the via negativa avoid?

  the problem of positive language about God (limiting)
• (s) what else does the via negativa avoid?

  anthropomorphism
• (s) how does the via negativa avoid anthropomorphism?

  since its focus is on Gods transcendence
• (s) its focus is on Gods transcendence is also supported by what?

  the claims of those in the mystical tradition (Otto/Stace)
• (w) the via negativa claims that it is possible to approach some kind of understanding of God by saying what he's not, who disagrees?


  Brian Davies
• (w) what does Davies comment?

  for only saying what something is not gives no indication of what it actually is
• (w) if one can only say what God is not then...?

  one cannot understand him at all
• (w) how does it relate to Flew's parable of the gardener?


  the concept of via negativas God also dies the "death of a thousand qualifications"
• (w) is it possible to worship a God who...?

  is described in entirely negative ways?
• (w) what is the problem if a mystic says they have had an experience of God?

  they cannot describe that experience, so how can we tell whether it was an experience of God or simply an experience produced by the brain