Wittgenstein was one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. In this collection, distinguished Wittgenstein scholars examine his legacy for the philosophy of religion by examining key areas of his work: Wittgenstein's Tractatus; Frazer's 'Golden Bough'; and the implications of his later philosophy for the understanding of religion. Assessments are also provided of the philosophical and theological reception of his work. The collection provides an invaluable resource for graduate and undergraduate teaching of Wittgenstein in relation to religion.

Religion Within the Limits of Language Alone provides a critical examination of the Wittgensteinian philosophers of religion who claim that the word 'God' cannot be understood as referring to a metaphysical being who may or may not exist. McCutcheon traces the arguments offered by these philosophers of religion back to Wittgenstein's own criticisms of speculative metaphysics, arguing that in its religious usage the concept of God does not fall under Wittgenstein's anti-metaphysical gaze. In presenting a detailed account of Wittgenstein's own philosophical method, including his criticisms of metaphysics, McCutcheon shows that it is possible to accept Wittgenstein's criticisms of metaphysics whilst retaining the metaphysical content of religious language. This book offers a fresh understanding of Wittgenstein's philosophical method and a new critique of religious discourse for those studying philosophy and religious studies.

Ludwig Wittgenstein was an outstanding 20th-century philosopher whose influence has reverberated throughout not only philosophy but also numerous other areas of inquiry, including theology and the study of religions. Exemplifying how Wittgenstein's thought can be engaged with both sympathetically and critically, Wittgenstein, Religion and Ethics pushes forward our thinking about religion and ethics and their place in the modern world. Bringing Wittgenstein's ideas into productive dialogue with several other important thinkers, including Elizabeth Anscombe, St Thomas Aquinas, Georg Cantor, Søren Kierkegaard and George Orwell, this collection fosters a highly informative picture of how different strands of contemporary and historical thought intersect and bear upon one another. Chapters are written by leading scholars in the field and tackle current debates concerning religious and ethical matters, with particular attention to the nature of religious language. This is a substantial contribution to religion and ethics, demonstrating the significance of Wittgenstein's ideas for these and related subjects.

Ludwig Wittgenstein's life and philosophy powerfully illustrates that ideas have consequences. Though he only published one book during his lifetime, Wittgenstein's ideas exert a powerful influence over Western thought, especially in the American university campus. His theory of language games insistently separates reason from faith, by restricting meaning to the way we use words and isolating different language games from one another. His view has profoundly influenced the idea that faith has no place in academia and that critical thinking should remain separate from campus ministry. As a result, students lack basic knowledge of natural theology, have weak trust in the reliability of truth, and display minimal confidence in speaking about faith. This project represents a philosophical response to his theory demonstrating its insufficiency as a way of viewing the world, a theological response representing the biblical view, and a practical response intended to address this issue among college students in our own ministry. The results of this project suggest that teaching natural theology to college students in a dynamic and interactive setting can help to gain knowledge, increase trust in the truth, and bolster confidence in speaking about faith.

The present book is a collection of 9 essays, emerging from a long and intense research collaboration among scholars coming from different backgrounds and traditions. As the book’s subtitle suggests, these essays focus on the ethical, religious, and political aspects of Wittgenstein’s thought, which are illustrated and investigated with reference to theircomplex interaction with Wittgenstein’s philosophical method and his conception of philosophy, on the one hand, and with his conception of language and human agency on the other.

This book is a critical exposition of multiple facets of Ludwig Wittgenstein's thoughts on ethics and religion. The book first brings out foundations of Wittgenstein's views. Then, it deals with various issues of current debates in the philosophy of Wittgenstein, such as: the notion of transcendental ethics . the dichotomy between fact and value . the distinction between religious and superstitious beliefs . the notion of happiness and human being . discussions on Fideism . whether Wittgenstein's methodology was Christian or Jewish . Wittgenstein's religious thoughts in the context of logical positivism and Habermas. The book is useful not only for students of philosophy and theology but also for a lay reader who is interested in an in-depth analysis of the realm of meta-ethics and religious philosophy of language.