Edexcel GCE A level Religious Studies Spotlight on... - 4.1 (a) Analogy - via negativa, univocal/equivocal language and Aquinas’ proportional analogy

Oct 20, 2026

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Edexcel GCE A level Religious Studies Spotlight on... section 4.1(a) Analogy explains how religious believers attempt to describe God through religious language. It introduces the via negativa method, showing how negative statements (what God is not) can support limited knowledge of God, referencing Moses Maimonides. The material compares univocal and equivocal language, addressing anthropomorphism and attribution problems, and discusses Aquinas’ response via analogical thinking through attribution and proportion, grounded in Aquinas’ ideas.

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4.1 Analogy and Symbol

a) Analogy: via negativa

Univocal language and anthropomorphism

Equivocal language and attribution problems

Aquinas: analogy of attribution

Aquinas: analogy of proportion

| Edexcel GCE A level Religious Studies
A Spotlight on… | | | --- | --- | | Analogy
This section of the specification requires students to explore several concepts. They should investigate the via negativa, which suggests knowing God by understanding what God is not. They also need to examine univocal language and its issues, such as anthropomorphism, and equivocal language with its attribution problems. Finally, they must delve into the significance of proportional similarities and dissimilarities, with reference to Aquinas’ ideas. | | The topic of religious language as a whole considers the meaning (or lack of meaning) of religious statements. Whereas the other two aspects of this topic look atthe dialogue between believers and atheists on religious language, this first section (4.1) looks at ways in which religious believers attempt to describe God. The main difficulty being that, just as other significant things in life cannot be truly captured in words, God as the ultimate and greatest being is to some extent beyond description. The theories of analogy and symbol attempt to respond to this difficulty by suggesting ways in which human language may bring some knowledge of God. | Topics | What students need to learn | | | --- | --- | --- | | 4
Religious
language | 4.1 | Analogy and Symbol
a) Analogy: via negativa, knowledge about God may be gained by what God is not like, univocal language and problems of anthropomorphism, equivocal language and problems of attribution, significance of proportional similarities and dissimilarities.
With reference to the ideas of Aquinas. | Edexcel GCE A level Religious Studies Spotlight on...Analogy Page 1 of 5 A Spotlight on… 4.1 (a) Analogy The via negativa takes a very unusual approach to the problem outlined above. As words are unable to adequately describe God, the only possible statements that can be made are negative statements; statements about what God is not. When we say that ‘God is Good’we cannot help but understand the word ‘good’in terms of human goodness. Yet God is not ‘good’ in this sense, his goodness is beyond our comprehension. But we can say that God is not evil, not wicked, not unjust etc and this may eventually give us some understanding of what God is. The Jewish Philosopher Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) argued for the use of the via negativa in his ‘Guide for the Perplexed.’ The only positive statement that can be made about God is that he exists. He argues that the negative can bring us some knowledge of God. He uses the example of a ship. If we say that the ship is not an accident, not a mineral, not a plant, not a natural body etc. then he argues that by the tenth statement we will have some knowledge of what a ship is. In the same way the via negativa allows us to gain some knowledge of God. Resource |
Chapter 60 of Moses Maimonides Guide for the Perplexed is entitled | | | --- | --- | | ‘On the difference between positive and negative attributes.’ It covers the example of the ship and goes on to explain how the method of negation can be used to describe God. | | A key insight of the via negativa is that it seems impossible to suggest that words when applied to God cannot be univocal (having the same meaning as when they are applied elsewhere). When we say that ‘God is good’ and then say that ‘Amir is good’, we are not saying the same thing. This is the danger of univocal language. It risks anthropomorphism as it reduces God to a human level. Hence it can be seen as almost disrespectful to God However, the via negativa has the opposite problem. It holds an equivocal understanding of religious language. This means that words have a completely different meaning when applied elsewhere. So, when we say ‘God is good’we learn absolutely nothing as the word carries a different meaning when applied to God. This leads to a problem of agnosticism as we are unable to know anything about God using this method. Aquinas does not comp

FAQs

What is the via negativa approach to describing God?

The via negativa argues that words cannot adequately describe God, so it focuses on negative statements—what God is not. Maimonides also claims that negative attributes can still bring some knowledge of God.

Why is univocal language considered risky when applied to God?

Univocal language treats words as having the same meaning in different contexts, which can lead to anthropomorphism by reducing God to a human level.

How does Aquinas address the problems of univocal and equivocal religious language?

Aquinas does not fully reject the via negativa, but he promotes understanding religious language analogically. He aims for a “middle ground” using analogy, including the analogy of attribution and the analogy of proportion.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore