bliks

• the blik argument was developed by Hare

  • Hare thought religious language was non-cognitive
• Parable of the Lunatic:

  • lunatic is convinced that all Oxford uni lecturers want to murder him
  • his friends introduce him to the mildest most respectable lecturers
  • this doesn't change the lunatics view that they will murder him, even after they've retired
• bliks = assumptions about the world that cannot be shifted
• bliks are non-cognitive - they cannot be used as evidence in a debate
• there are insane, sane and religious bliks
• Flew's response to Hare:

  • rejected Hare's view that religious statements are non-cognitive bliks, because believers do see their statements about God as cognitive and not as non-cognitive
• strengths of Hare's bliks:

  • it explains why different religions make different factual claims - they are bliks, not cognitive statements; their value is personal
  • bliks explain why people are not convinced by evidence that appears to contradict their beliefs
• weaknesses of Hare's bliks:

  • most believers do not see their belief statements as non-cognitive
  • it makes religion very subjective as it all depends on how you see something - if there are no actual truths, then Christianity's significance is simply what psychological + sociological benefits it might have