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The late Heidegger and a post-theistic understanding of religion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2018

RICO GUTSCHMIDT
RICO GUTSCHMIDT*
Affiliation:
Universität Konstanz, Fachbereich Philosophie, 78457Konstanz, Germany
*
e-mail: ricogutschmidt@gmail.com
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Abstract

This article explores Heidegger's later philosophy with regard to the problem of a philosophical interpretation of religious language. In what follows, I will draw upon the work of Wittgenstein and refer to the cosmological argument to read Heidegger in terms of a post-theistic understanding of religious language that avoids the shortcomings of both theistic realism and non-cognitivism. At the same time, I am proposing a new interpretation of Heidegger's later philosophy against this background. I will show that, in spite of its hermeticism, Heidegger's later philosophy has a specific relevance to philosophy of religion that still needs to be explored.

Type
Original Article
Information
Religious Studies , Volume 56 , Issue 2 , June 2020 , pp. 152 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018

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