Bandman, Bertram - Ultimate Questions, Extraordinary Religious Beliefs and Ordinary Criteria: The Case Against Fideism in Wittgenstein's Later Work

08/24/2012

From: Wittgenstein: Toward a Re-Evaluation; Fourteenth International Wittgenstein Symposium, Haller & Brandl, eds 1990

A Fideism is defined by author as someone who believes that faith overrides reason. Author does not believe Wittgenstein is a fideist but instead someone who tries to apply ordinary language to inner processes. Author first gives some examples of Wittgenstein's method and statements about the non-sense found in philosophy. But in the next section (3), author gives some examples, including "God's Eye sees everything", which author abbreviates "E". This E is taken not simply as a given but as being embedded in a system of other beliefs, attitudes and expectations, "some of which are rationally examinable".

Author discusses Wittgenstein's conception of a 'Framework Belief', or a belief that is part of the riverbed of one's belief system, like: "I have forebears". Only the insane could doubt such a belief, and such doubt is taken to be hollow. Someone who doubts that 'motorcars grow from the earth' doesn't even accept our system of verification. This is more evidence author uses to claim that Wittgenstein is looking for criteria for belief; not faith. Further than that, there is the problem that expressions of religious faith do not have obvious FBs to 'secure' them.

Another facet of Wittgenstein's work author brings to bear is his adaptation of Moore's Paradigm Case Argument (PCA). Moore's PCA claims that religious beliefs can be reasoned about, and are either true or false. A Fideist might claim that religious beliefs are not intended to be T/F, but this is exactly what PCA scrutinizes. Author conducts an extended analysis of religious belief statements under the supposition that they "fit into a scheme of value statements". In a conservative but charitable understanding of value statements, they are not T/F but reasoned and open to evaluation once given criteria. But furthermore there is the problem that if religious belief is not T/F then the practices that are based on their truth are similarly undermined. (pg342)