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- Title
The Reference of 'God': An Apophatic Perspective.
- Authors
Sikora, Piotr
- Abstract
In this paper I examine Hugh Burling's inspiring proposal that the reference of 'God' is determined by the description: 'the being worthy of our worship'. I argue that a more detailed analysis of the notion of being worthy of our worship leads to the conclusion that the proposed description is paradoxical, and cannot fulfill the role Burling would like it to play in determining the reference of the term 'God'. Subsequently, I provide several examples implying that (1) being worthy of our worship is a necessary condition for any candidate to be the referent of the term 'God', but (2) the semantics of 'God' is considerably more complicated than Burling takes it to be. Finally, I show that religious people who use the word 'God' are either idolatrous or trapped in an apophatic paradox of the reference of 'God'.
- Subjects
NEGATIVE theology; PARADOXICAL embolism; WORSHIP; PROOF of God; NOTIONS (Philosophy)
- Publication
Philosophia, 2022, Vol 50, Issue 2, p719
- ISSN
0048-3893
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11406-021-00417-4