1. ‘It's raining cats and dogs’
Analogy: useful?
‘It's raining cats and dogs’

2. Analogy

3. Learning outcomes
To be able to explain why analogies are important in the topic of religious language.
To be able to evaluate the ideas of Aquinas on analogies.

4. Aquinas: Why Analogy?
A famous analogy is William Paley’s watchmaker analogy (we studied this last year). He explains the teleology (purpose) of the universe by comparing its design to an intricate mechanism. So, he argued, God is a bit like a watchmaker. For Aquinas, such comparisons were needed for all talk of God.
Thomas Aquinas was concerned by the problem of explaining God in human language; God is supposedly perfect and infinite, so he might defy description.
Aquinas stated that we could not speak of God ‘univocally’ (with our language being applied to him with the same meaning), but nor could we speak of him ‘equivocally’ (with our language being applied with a different meaning). This left Aquinas needing to find a way of using language as an indirect description of God.
For this he turned to ‘analogy’. An analogy is an attempt to explain the meaning of something by comparison with an example more familiar to us.

5. Language meaning exactly the same thing in all situations.
UNIVOCAL LANGUAGE
Language meaning exactly the same thing in all situations.
EQUIVOCAL LANGUAGE
Language meaning different things in different situations.
The term ‘bat’ could also be seen as an equivocal term. You could be talking about a ‘cricket bat’ or a ‘flying bat’ (the animal).
Problem: If we say that ‘God is good’ means something completely different from any other ‘good’ then God would be unintelligible (we couldn’t understand him).
So, Aquinas argues, we cannot speak of God equivocally.
Black cat, black hat, black mat: for all these, ‘black’ means the same thing.
Problem: If we say ‘that lesson was good’ then ‘good’ means something different from saying ‘God is good’, since God is perfect and infinite.
So, Aquinas argues, we cannot speak of God univocally.

6. Aquinas thought that analogy would be a good compromise, because it would avoid the difficulties of univocal and equivocal language.
To make an analogy (a comparison), we would be saying that God is not just like us, but nor is he nothing like us and our world.
By finding appropriate analogical language, Aquinas thought we could say broadly what God is like. This would give us partial but justifiable knowledge of God.
To understand this theory, though, we must realise that it works within theism. In other words, Aquinas assumes that God exists; his theory is only helpful if we take that for granted.

7. The cataphatic way or via positiva
Read through the article on Aquinas’ views on talking about God… Answer this question in your notes: Does Aquinas follow the via negativa or the via postivia?
Top Philosopher: What are, the modern philosopher, Mark Vernon’s views on the via negativa?
Stretch yourself:
Have you explained the term via eminentiae?

8. Think, Pair, Share
A: Univocal language B: Equivocal language A: Analogy B: What does Aquinas say about religious language?

9. In depth: Aquinas and Analogy
Search around the room to complete the worksheet! What else does he say?
Top Philosopher: What does are the modern philosopher Mark Vernon’s views on the via negativa?
Stretch yourself:
Research Aquinas’ 4th way…

10. Analogy: In your words What is analogy of attribution?
What is Analogy of Proportionality?
What is the difference between the two?
4) Explain two criticisms of Aquinas’ view.
Top philosopher task:
What synoptic links could you make with Aquinas’ ideas?
Stretch yourself:
Write a response to Aquinas’ ideas from point of view of Anthony Flew.

11. Fourth Way - The Argument From Degrees And Perfection
St. Thomas formulated this Way from a very interesting observation about the qualities of things. For example one may say that of two marble sculptures one is more beautiful than the other. So for these two objects, one has a greater degree of beauty than the next. This is referred to as degrees or gradation of a quality. From this fact Aquinas concluded that for any given quality (e.g. goodness, beauty, knowledge) there must be a perfect standard by which all such qualities are measured. These perfections are contained in God.

12. How many can you think of? You must remember to explain the meanings.
Keywords!
How many can you think of? You must remember to explain the meanings.

13. Ramsey, models and qualifiers
A twentieth-century version of the idea of speaking of God analogically comes from the philosopher Ian Ramsey, who explained his ideas in his book Religious Language. He tried to explain the way in which religious language could usefully describe God by using the terms ‘models’ and ‘qualifiers’.
What does Ramsey mean by the terms models and qualifiers? Write an explanation for he means in your notes… e.g. Models: Qualifiers: