Trinity and Truth (Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine)

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Summary: Trinitarian Truth and Analytic Epistemology
Review: In this important work, Bruce Marshall has brought a robust Trinitarian way of thinking about truth and the justification of belief into the wider human discussion of truth and knowledge as it is currently being engaged by analytic philosophers. The author follows George Lindbeck (see "Nature of Doctrine") and attempts to answer the difficult questions that arose as a result of his presentation of a "post-liberal" approach to theological claims which is really more of a return to classical Christian approaches to theology, especially as synthesized by Thomas Aquinas.

Rating:
Summary: Whatever happened to Wittgenstein?
Review: One major weakness of this otherwise helpful book is the way in which the author practically ignores the epoch-making work of Wittgenstein. This oversight is tragic and inexplicable becuase Wittgenstein's work offers another way of avoiding the realist and anti-realist views on truth that Marshall admirably wants to avoid. One may disagree with Wittgenstein, but certainly the author owes us a more adequate account of why he is so dimissive of such an influential position as Wittgenstein's on many of the issues addressed in this book.
Marshall (fatefully in my view) choses instead to rely on the work of Donald Davidson in order to avoid the pitfalls of realism and anti-realism.

Another major oversight in Marshall's approach is his entire avoidance of Alasdair MacIntyre's devastating criticisms of Davidson's views on radical interpretation, on which Marshall hangs so much of his hopes about truth and meaning. Moreover, the fact that Marshall entirely skips the perspectives of MacIntyre and Charles Taylor regarding historicism and its inherent critique of the epistemological project (not to mention MacIntyre's Thomistic account of truth) seriously weakens the force and plausibility of the overall arguement of an otherwise lovely book.

Certainly one must make choices in order to give focus to such a monumental task as the one Marshall has set for himself, however it is unfortunate that this book is written within such a philosophically circumscribed perspective, namely that of a certain brand of questionable analytic philosophy.
There really is so much to like about this book and so much to disagree with, particularly if you have sensibilities along the lines mentioned above. However, if you buy into the terms of the sort of analytic philosophy that is on display here in this book then you will enjoy this work. If you do not then you will be dissatisfied with Marshall's account of these matters. In either case it will be challenging and great fun to think through these issues with the author.