Filsafat Bahasa Wittgenstein dan Relevansinya bagi Dialog Agama Kontemporer

Abstract

Interreligious dialogue in contemporary plural societies faces serious challenges, particularly due to differences in the use and interpretation of religious language, which is often understood in a monolithic and decontextualized manner. Religious language is frequently reduced to doctrinal propositions debated through logical arguments, thereby neglecting the form of life from which it emerges. This study aims to analyze the transformation of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s thought from the picture theory presented in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus to the concept of language games developed in Philosophical Investigations, as well as its implications for understanding religious language and contemporary interreligious dialogue. This research employs a qualitative approach using a library research method through philosophical-conceptual analysis of Wittgenstein’s major works and relevant secondary literature. The findings indicate that the concept of language games allows religious language to be understood as a social practice with internal rules and contextual meanings, rather than as metaphysical propositions subject to empirical-logical verification. In the context of interreligious dialogue, this approach helps explain differences in the meanings of religious terms such as “salvation” or “God” without treating them as absolute logical contradictions. By viewing religious language as part of language games rooted in distinct forms of life, interreligious dialogue can be directed toward mutual understanding and respect for diversity rather than the pursuit of theological uniformity.