cholarly conjecture surrounding the claim that religious beliefs are ‘groundless’ are numero Portraying Race and Ethnicity us. Norman Malcolm, in ‘On the Groundlessness of Belief’, outlines a notion of groundlessness which not only furthers, but also makes accessible the constructs Ludwig Wittgenstein attributed to the notion of language games, in such a way as to incorporate religious beliefs. The foundationalist theory is of propositional nature to the fundamentals of how groundlessness works- ultimately requiring there always to be an underlying belief, until the core foundation is reached and one can justify no further. I seek to show how the very nature of groundlessness is lived through human experience and how Malcolm Portraying Race and Ethnicity ’s assertions are understood by other scholars in their attempts to categorise belief and religious belief. ‘Groundlessness’ varies in application depending on your understanding of the term itself- Malcolm is confident in associating belief with groundlessness, however, R.M. Hare is cautious to do so- instead preferring the term ‘blik’ to ascribe to groundless notions of individuals. Antony Flew opts for a different term altogether, deeming that ‘groundlessness’ is not what occurs when a belief is presented with counter evidence that is simply dismissed- he would go so far as to say these beliefs were consequently ‘meaningless’. Norman Malcom was an American philosopher and student of Ludwig Wittgenstein who had a particular focus on religious belief. Malcolm attributes the notion of ‘groundlessness’ to Wittgenstein, however, religion was not the direct focus in the publication of “On Certainty”, compiled from Wittgenstein’s notes after his death in 1951. Wittgenstein applied the theory of religion to his concept of language games which Malcolm describes as being “embedded in action” to which “neither stands in need of justification” (Malcolm 1977:100). Language, here, being a way of life, to which one does not affiliate unless one is within that particular culture- in such, our language is so intrinsic to ou Portraying Race and Ethnicity r way of thinking that we consider not its origins or derivatives, but rather, it is a central component to our way of life- “not in the sense of a groundless opinion, but in the sense that we accept it, we live it” (Malcolm 1977:98). Religion, on this basis, is groundless in the sense that basic beliefs, whic>