Munich lecture in philosophy of religion 2026

Die Veranstaltung finden in englischer Sprache statt:

„With a mighty shudder“: Rudolf Otto and the experiential power of religion, by Mikel Burley (Leeds)

It has been claimed that Rudolf Otto’s work was a major influence on the study of religions, especially comparative religion, but that it is now outdated and politically suspect. In this lecture, Professor Mikel Burley (University of Leeds) will argue that the most condemnatory charges are exaggerated and that there remains much to learn from Otto’s writings. Principally, it argues that Otto’s characterization of numinous feeling as both affective and cognitive is not implausible; that he recognizes the bodily dimension of numinous feeling; that his analyses of religions are not unduly reductive; that his account of the source of religion is not unduly anti-reductive; and that the contention that his affirmation of Christianity’s superiority harbours racist and colonialist implications has not been substantiated. More positively, the lecture cites Otto’s treatment of sacred architecture as exemplary of his perceptive contribution to the study of religions generally and the philosophy of religion in particular.