The Problem of Coherence of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Religious Thought

It is common to distinguish two highly distinct phases of Wittgenstein's philosophizing and consider them as incompatible, even opposing each other. Nonetheless, in this paper I argue that viewed from the perspective of philosophy of religion Wittgenstein's religious thought is to a greater extent coherent and complementary. Although a few relevant theoretical differences appear during the shift from "earlier" to "later" Wittgenstein, both periods share the same fundamental notions: antirationalism, antinaturalism and the autonomy of religious discourse. The thesis is supported not only by an examination of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations; the justification is also based on a closer look at Wittgenstein's shorter texts that are pertinent for the subject.