Explain how analogies prove a meaningful way to speak about God (30)

Aquinas said that there were two ways language could be used; univocally and equivocally.

Univocally refers to a word that as the same word and meaning regardless of the context. Equivocal language however refers to words that are the same but have a different meaning depending on the context. An example of this is the word 'set'. To know what meaning where are referring to, we must know the context.

However, Aquinas said that when we speak about God, neither ways are adequate. Univocal language is just too basic and God is different. Equivocal language needs the context which we do not have when talking about God. Aquinas said that one way we could talk meaningfully about God was using analogies.

These work by comparing two things ; one we know and one we do not know about. By doing this we gain an understand of what was previously unknown because of its similarity to the object it comparison that we do know. Analogies work best depending on their strength of comparison.

Aquinas began by saying that humans are created in the image of God. This was the framework of his analogies.

The first analogy is the analogy of attribution.

Aquinas said that as we are made int he image of God, our attributes reflect God's.

To say a human is wise would also mean saying God is wise. Aquinas asserted that humans are not independent of the certain attribute, which, in this example would be wisdom, but rather dependent on God as he is the source of wisdom.

Brian Davies used the example of bread and the baker to further illustrate this point. Bread is good. But it is only good because of the baker. The baker's goodness has spread to the bread, such that the bread cannot be independently good.

Aquinas' second analogy was proportion. In this, he said that there is a hierarchy in creation. Just as humans are subordinate to God, so are animals to humans etc. He said that for this reason, you would not call a fox wise on the same level as a human because they are lower down in the hierarchy

Similarly, you would not call human wise just as you would God as yet again, a human is below God. Aquinas said that everything in creation's characteristics are proportionate to where they come in the hierarchy.

Another thinker who developed work on how analogies can be useful for talking meaningfully about God was Ian Ramsey.

He said that religious language was revelatory in that is disclosed or provided information.

For example, God as loving or king. Due to this, these types of words are called disclosures. However, Ramsey said that they are not simply enough when talking about God, because God transcends these terms. For this reason, he used words such as 'All-loving' or 'Mighty King'. These are called qualifiers because they qualify the terms in relation to who God is. He said that by using these, the 'penny drops, the light dawns'.

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