ABSTRACT
Inhiscriticalanalysisofmetaphysics,Wittgensteinfrequentlyappealedtowhat hecalledthe"grammar"ofanexpression,claimingthatwhatthe metaphysiciandoeswrongistoconfuserulesoflanguage(grammar)fortruths aboutreality.2InChapterOne,wesawthatWittgenstein'sgoalinphilosophy wastoshowthelimitsoflanguageinordertopreventtheillegitimate(and ultimatelymeaningless)transgressionoftheselimits.Wittgenstein distinguishesrulesoflanguagefromdescriptionsaboutreality.Itisonlywhen wehaveameaningfullanguagethatwecanmaketrueorfalseclaimsabout reality.Grammaticalrulesarewhatgiveusmeaningfullanguage;theymake possibledescriptionsofreality.Ourconcerninthischapteriswiththis apparentdistinctionbetweenrulesofgrammarandtruthsaboutreality.3
OrthodoxinterpretationsofWittgensteinpursuethisdichotomybetween grammaticalpropositionsandtruthsabouttheworld(Hacker,Malcolm,Rhees, Winch,Albritton),andtheNeo-Wittgensteinianaccountsofreligiousbelief thatwewillbeconsideringalsoemployitintheiranalysisofreligious language.D.Z.Phillipsmakesthedistinctionexplicitwhenhetellsus,for example,that"doctrinalstatements...giveusrulesfortheuseoftheword 'God'andthattheclaim'Godislove'maymisleadusintothinkingthatitis adescriptivestatementratherthanarulefortheuseoftheword'God"'.4
