Which philosopher argued that negative language does not serve to bring us closer to understanding God?

The philosopher who argued that negative language does not help us understand God is Maimonides. He emphasized the limitations of human language and comprehension when it comes to divine attributes. Maimonides posited that affirmative statements about God can lead to misconceptions because they impose human characteristics onto the divine. Instead, he advocated for a form of negative theology, which asserts that one can only describe God by stating what God is not, rather than by what God is. This approach is based on the belief that God transcends all human understanding and characteristics, making it essential to reject anthropomorphic descriptions in seeking a more accurate understanding of the divine.

Maimonides’ perspective is that negative language allows for a purer conception of God by eliminating misleading and inadequate representations that may arise from positive assertions. In doing so, he believed that we could better approximate the truth about an incomprehensible deity.