The thing that thought cannot think

Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard

No factual content can be ascribed to a mystical experience. The mystical is not within the world nor its expression within language; instead it shows itself in the existence of the world and existence of language. This showing can only be felt.

Charles L. Creegan

Creegan’s book¹ Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard: Religion, Individuality, and Philosophical Method is an analysis of the intersection of the thoughts of logician Wittgenstein and theologian Kierkegaard. A “language game” — in Wittgenstein's view — is the accepted norms utilized by two speakers of any specific language, including specialized languages such as scientific or religious language. Religion and science are two different language-games; they are orthogonal, not inconsistent. Kierkegaard calls this the “thing that thought cannot think.” Thus, when we try to combine or contrast things of science with things of religion, we perform what is called a category mistake – the confusion is caused completely by a point of grammar.

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