Bruno Latour and Theology

Jean-Denis Kraege

Abstract

Theology has always had problems with anthropology’s definitions of the “human being.” Bruno Latour has attempted to develop an “anthropology of the moderns.” Latour may well be able to shed some light on theology, especially since he was a self-proclaimed Christian who did not shy away from integrating the “religious mode of being” into his anthropology. Latour’s anthropology identifies 15 modes of existence that either intersect in ways that preclude anyone of them from becoming dominant, or that risk sinking into what he calls “fundamentalism.” This requirement presents a problem for theologians for whom the relationship with God is the foundation of any authentic self-understanding. Is Latour’s empiricist anthropology compatible with theology, and therefore informative for it? And upon what conditions?

How to Cite
More Citation Formats