Ineffability

a response to William Rowe and Christopher Insole

pp. 76-89

in: John Hick, Dialogues in the philosophy of religion, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010

Abstract

The term "ineffable", meaning inexpressible, transcending description, beyond the scope of our human concepts, is good semantic currency with a respectable Latin lineage. But today, because of such similar-sounding but very different-meaning words and phrases as "effing" and "the eff word", we may well be slightly uncomfortable with "ineffable" and ready for an alternative. I suggest "transcategorial", that is, outside or beyond the range of our categories of thought, and I shall use both terms in what follows.