How John Hick use Wittgenstein’s philosophy to show the irreducibility of religious experience? Discuss.

John Hick, a prominent philosopher of religion, drew on Ludwig Wittgenstein's philosophy to argue for the irreducibility of religious experience. Hick employed Wittgenstein's insights, particularly from his later work, to emphasize the unique and ineffable nature of religious encounters.

Wittgenstein, in his later philosophy, introduced the concept of language games and emphasized the idea that the meaning of language is embedded in its use within particular forms of life. Hick applied this linguistic framework to religious language, contending that religious experiences form a distinct "language game" with its own rules and criteria for meaning.

Hick argued that religious experiences, being deeply personal and transformative, resist easy translation into the language of everyday discourse. He maintained that the ineffable, transcendent nature of religious encounters cannot be adequately captured or expressed through ordinary language. Wittgenstein's notion of the limits of language, as explored in his work "Philosophical Investigations," resonated with Hick's view that religious experiences elude reduction to conventional linguistic expressions.

Furthermore, Hick utilized Wittgenstein's idea of family resemblances to highlight the diverse yet interconnected nature of religious experiences. Different religious traditions may use varying language games, yet they share family resemblances in their common pursuit of the transcendent.

By employing Wittgenstein's linguistic philosophy, Hick argued against reductionist attempts to analyze religious experiences solely in terms of psychological, sociological, or naturalistic explanations. He maintained that the irreducibility of religious experiences necessitates an acknowledgment of their unique status within the broader spectrum of human encounters.

In summary, John Hick drew on Wittgenstein's philosophy to assert the irreducibility of religious experience by emphasizing the distinct language game involved in expressing and understanding such encounters. The ineffable and transformative aspects of religious experiences, according to Hick, resist straightforward translation into ordinary language, requiring recognition of their distinctive nature.