[Philos. of Rel.] Religion and Language. I. Ultimate concern in language as such. 1. The fundamental importance of language for all cul- tural activities already discussed. (The lectures on religion done with the attempt to avoid religious language while pointing in philosophical language to the meaning of religion. [Some of the difficulties, especially from theological side, rooted in this situation].) 2. Two different questions a] The presence of ultimate concern in language as language. b] The nature of the religious language in {d} contrast to other forms of language. 3. Religion as the substance of culture must also be the substance of language. The meaning of this assertion dependent on the other assertion that language is based on an encounter of

2 mind with reality, and that the defined {si} verbal signs are an abstraction from this encounter. [...] An Argumnt{s}: The original concrete {richn} richness of primitive languages and the dete- riorisation into merely communicative signs: The abbreviations by letters without meaning; G. M. = general motors, U. T. S. = Union Theological Seminary, U. N. = United Nations etc.) – The reduction of {forms to} grammatical inflexions to poverty, because the communicative function does not need them (tempora, optative, conjunctive). The extreme of this development in logical positivism (s. 4). 4. Another side of the same social phenomenon: The dete- riorizing use of the creative language for advertizing. The still existing great words are used for the lowest forms of {commu} advertisment: {Ev} Joy, courage, bliss, life happiness, love, hope, beauty, truth etc. In each of these words much "ultimate concern" – now the most preliminary con- cern about profit and pleasure.

3 5. The deteriorization of language by dictators as the greatest advertizers. This connected with dehumanization. The dan- ger of the same negativity in democracies by the slogans of public communication. – The protest againt all this by the poets and writers. But the demonic situation of the use of them by that against which they are fighting, the advertising and propagandist use of their language. 6. Creative language born out of encounter with rea- lity. Therefore the creative differences between the genuine langua- ges. Examples: The Greek language producing concepts like τὰ ὀντα. The possibility of realizing the philosophical concept of "being" later on. The Roman language and the conceptual pre- ciseness with respect to social relations, the basis of the Ro- man law; the German language and its mystical roots. The

4 French language and its purified clarity and rationality (Des- cartes^ae and the French language). The English language and its predominance of the verb, {pr} foreseeing the English-American activism etc. Its purging power with respect to mysticism. In each of these languages an ultimate concern was {mani} mani- fest. 7. Language, meaning and power. The attempt of logical positivism to reduce language to meaning. This possible in mathematical abstraction. But otherwise the power based on the connotations (tradition and experience),  the images produced by {it} the word, the constellation of images in a sentence, the rythm. These are not emotional additions, but wittnesses of the encounter with reality which has produced them and mediations of the same encounter. (Here the question, wether philosophy is possible or not)

5 Polarity between mathematical and ritual language: The proportion of designative meaning and power. II. Linguistic expressions of ultimate concern. The symbol and myth. 1. The statement that religious language is symbolic pre- supposes the existence of non-symbolic language. The relation of word and {t} {only} content generally [...] : direct significatory a combination of sonnets or letters signifies a thing or a relation or an action. Understanding a word means combining this combinations with a definite reality. In this sense all words are signs. But there is one class which one can call directly significatory. They are derived from the {practical} technical dealing or handling reality. This implies the scientific refinement of the system of signs

6 This all is still direct objects in time and space are grasped (including their relations and actions). 2. This origine of language is manifest in all levels The spatial consciousness as preceding all other categories, the here and there. This leads to the metaphoric use of language. Example: Level, stratum, higher, lower, up, down in all psychic realities, events and valuations. But a metaphor is not a symbol. The meaning is transferred from one realm to another. But it is still direct. 3. The terms sign and symbol. The semantic confusion. Symbols {t} in mathematics and logic are signs.