Precising the wittgensteinian fideism

Abstract

The influences of Tolstói, James and Kierkegaard explain many characteristics of Wittgenstein’s philosophy of religion. But those influences also suggest the limits of this philosophy, because the wittgensteinian view of religion and the divine as something fundamentally expressive, pathetic, and decisionist, is incompatible with arguments, beliefs, and evaluations. Wittgenstein help us to appreciate the religious experiences and languages with vigour. This is useful for psychology, sociology, literature, and also theology, but it is not philosophically sophisticated: his fideistic tendencies ballast the wittgensteinian understanding of religions with phenomenological, epistemological, metaphysical, and moral-political deficiencies.

Keywords

• Tolstói
• James
• Kierkegaard
• religión
• Dios
• fideísmo
• creencia