The phenomenon of religious belief poses many interesting and challenging questions: Those who don’t have the privilege of believing in miracles, divine providence, or resurrection often find it difficult to understand the meaning of religious concepts in a society characterized by a primarily scientific paradigm in fields like economy, technics, justice, or politics.
A number of questions concerning religious belief seem to have puzzled also Ludwig Wittgenstein and he came up with interesting questions and answers to this effect.
His concept of hinge beliefs, if applicable to religious belief, is a surprising and convincing explanation of the phenomenon of religious belief.
But can it really be applied to religion and did Wittgenstein do that?
This paper will try to find answers to these questions.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Wittgenstein’s Relation to Religious Belief
3. Considerations Pertinent to Religion in On Certainty
Knowing and Believing
“He knows” vs. “I know”
Knowing and believing as a mental state
Religious Belief
Doubt and Certainty
Subjective and Objective Certainty
Hinges and “nonepistemic” Certainty
World picture
Language Game
Acting
Mysticism and Mythology
God
4. Questions about Religion and Possible Wittgensteinian Answers
Are religious beliefs hinge beliefs?
How can religious and secular world-pictures coexist?
How is a religious belief acquired?
What exactly do the faithful believe, know, and feel certain of?
How does religious belief affect the conduct of one’s life?
5. Epistemological Considerations
6. Conclusion
Objective and Core Themes
This paper explores the application of Ludwig Wittgenstein's late philosophy, specifically the concept of "hinge beliefs" from On Certainty, to the phenomenon of religious belief. The primary research question is whether religious beliefs can be understood as "hinges"—foundational, ungrounded certainties that form the bedrock of a person's world-picture—and how such a framework might explain the coexistence of religious and scientific paradigms in contemporary life.
- Analysis of Wittgenstein’s transition in his thinking towards religion.
- Examination of the epistemological distinction between knowledge and certainty.
- Evaluation of "hinge beliefs" as a framework for religious conviction.
- Comparison between religious and scientific world-pictures.
- Investigation into how religious belief influences personal conduct and forms of life.
Excerpt from the Book
Are religious beliefs hinge beliefs?
Wittgenstein’s hinge concept is an extremely plausible way of explaining the peculiarities of religious belief to non-believers and, possibly, those of the scientific world picture to religious believers. The hinge concept works for both worlds, that of the religious believer and that of the non-believer: "Here I have arrived at a foundation of all my beliefs." "This position I will hold!" But isn't that, precisely, only because I am completely convinced of it? - What is 'being completely convinced' like? (OC 246)
It is not easy for a person with a scientific world-picture to understand how another person can believe in miracles, divine providence, resurrection, or other mythical narratives that are incomprehensible for her. On the other hand, how has the believer in a scientific world-picture satisfied herself about some remarkable but invisible phenomena of the scientific legacy, such as microbial diversity, the surprising effects of quantum physics, or the structure of the cosmos? Under normal circumstances, I would say, not at all, except in very small areas of personal competence.
What does a believer in the heliocentric system really know about it? She has learnt about it in school, has seen some pictures or models and, perhaps, some educational films. Under normal circumstances, she has never recalculated Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. She knows that her teachers, her parents and her peers have no doubts about the earth being part of a heliocentric system and that is enough to be “completely convinced of it”. It has become a hinge, like many other pieces of scientific “truth”.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research focus on applying Wittgenstein’s "hinge" concept to the study of religious belief and sets the scope for the analysis.
2. Wittgenstein’s Relation to Religious Belief: Reviews the development of Wittgenstein’s personal and philosophical attitude toward religion, from his early life to his later works.
3. Considerations Pertinent to Religion in On Certainty: Analyzes foundational concepts in On Certainty—including knowledge, belief, certainty, and world-pictures—relevant to understanding religious phenomena.
4. Questions about Religion and Possible Wittgensteinian Answers: Applies the hinge framework to specific questions regarding the acquisition, coexistence, and practical impact of religious beliefs.
5. Epistemological Considerations: Discusses whether the hinge framework renders Wittgenstein’s philosophy a relativistic system regarding epistemic world-pictures.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes findings, concluding that religious belief acts as a passion-driven "hinge" that provides a stable foundation for the believer's life, regardless of epistemological scrutiny.
Keywords
Wittgenstein, On Certainty, Hinge beliefs, Religious belief, Epistemology, World-picture, Certainty, Knowledge, Language game, Nonepistemic certainty, Relativism, Philosophy of religion, Belief, Justification, Form of life
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this paper?
The paper examines religious belief through the lens of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s late philosophy, particularly his concept of "hinge beliefs" found in the work On Certainty.
What are the central themes discussed?
Key themes include the distinction between knowledge and certainty, the ungrounded nature of foundational convictions, and the comparison between religious and scientific world-pictures.
What is the primary research question?
The study investigates whether religious beliefs can be categorized as "hinge beliefs" and whether this classification provides a convincing explanation for the nature and persistence of religious belief.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a qualitative analysis of Wittgenstein’s aphorisms from On Certainty, matching them against various questions regarding religious and scientific practices.
What is treated in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the transition of Wittgenstein's view on religion, an epistemological analysis of certainty versus knowledge, and practical applications of the hinge concept to religious life.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The work is best characterized by terms such as hinge beliefs, epistemology, world-picture, nonepistemic certainty, and the philosophy of religion.
Does the author conclude that religious belief is "true" or "false"?
No, the author avoids such judgments. Instead, the focus is on the functional role religious beliefs play as hinge propositions in the life of a believer, regardless of their truth value.
How does the author relate "hinge beliefs" to scientific knowledge?
The author argues that scientific world-pictures also rely on hinge beliefs, suggesting that both scientific and religious world-pictures are essentially grounded in ungrounded certainties that are acquired through training rather than reasoning.
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- Karl-Heinz Mayer (Autor:in), 2014, Religion in Wittgenstein's "On Certainty", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/304271
