The Decline of certainty: on Gianni Vattimo's weak belief

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dc.contributor.authorZielke, Dustin
dc.contributor.supervisorVahabzadeh, Peyman
dc.contributor.supervisorRoss, Stephen
dc.date.accessioned2010-09-07T16:14:09Z
dc.date.available2010-09-07T16:14:09Z
dc.date.copyright2010en
dc.date.issued2010-09-07T16:14:09Z
dc.degree.departmentInterdisciplinary Studies
dc.degree.departmentInterdisciplinary Graduate Program
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of English
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Sociology
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractThis thesis argues that in order to demonstrate the possibility and sensibility of Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo's 'weak religious belief', it should be understood as the becoming uncertain of traditional, metaphysical (strong) belief. The difference between weak belief and strong belief can thereby be understood not as two distinct modes of belief, but as an event of weakening in the history of belief that has yet to be realized by those who believe with the support of metaphysical certainty. Since Vattimo aligns metaphysics with violence, and since he aligns traditional belief with metaphysics, to demonstrate and defend the possibility of Vattimo’s weak belief amounts to the reduction of violence in the world. However, the possibility and validity of weak belief has been called into question by thinkers such as Richard Rorty. In light of a review of the arguments and counter-arguments between Rorty and Vattimo, I argue that it is possible to distinguish weak belief from strong belief as long as this remains a weak distinction.en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/3029
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben
dc.subjectWeak Thoughten
dc.subjectChristianityen
dc.subjectRichard Rortyen
dc.subjectReligionen
dc.subjectPhilosophy of Religionen
dc.subjectMartin Heideggeren
dc.subjectOnto-theologyen
dc.subjectSecularizationen
dc.subjectDeath of Goden
dc.subjectFriedrich Nietzscheen
dc.subjectEthicsen
dc.subjectWeak Distinctionen
dc.subject.lcshUVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Religion::Religion--Philosophyen
dc.subject.lcshUVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Philosophyen
dc.subject.lcshUVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Theologyen
dc.titleThe Decline of certainty: on Gianni Vattimo's weak beliefen
dc.typeThesisen

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