The Analogy of Signs: Rethinking Theological Language with Charles S. Peirce

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The longstanding debate over how God-talk is intelligible gravitates around how we should understand the putative answer, by analogy. For some contemporary Christian theologians, analogy involves an ontological claim about creaturely and divine being (i.e., an analogy of being). For others, it involves a semantic or syntactical structure that legitimates the linguistic performances associated with analogy (i.e., a grammatical analogy). Still others appeal to faith in Gods self-disclosure in Jesus Christ (i.e., an analogy of faith).

Rory Misiewicz argues that all of these approaches fall flat in their explanatory efforts. He draws upon the work of American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce to rethink the relation between God and human beings. He argues that Christian theologians may view that relation as being established by an analogy of signs: both God and human beings are univocally involved in semiosis, or sign-process, and the confirmation of Gods semiotic identity is found in the revelation of God in the person of Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. Therefore, ordinary analogical language is intelligible, for divine signs are commensurate with human signs.

Reviews

Rory Misiewicz has produced a fine comparison of Thomas Aquinass analogy of faith and Charles S. Peirces analogy of signs. This is first-rate Peirce scholarship and adds to our growing knowledge of Peirces later work. It takes a worthy place among scholarship sponsored by Shorts Peirces Theory of Signs. It is especially good in explicating Peirces strange, conservative, view of God.

Author Bio

Rory Misiewicz (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) teaches humane letters at Philadelphia Classical School (PA).