Kearney, Richard

Richard Kearney (1954-) is an Irish philosopher whose work bridges continental philosophy and philosophy of religion, offering innovative approaches to understanding God in post-secular contexts. Educated at University College Dublin and the University of Paris, he currently serves as Charles Seelig Professor of Philosophy at Boston College. His concept of "anatheism," developed in his 2010 work Anatheism: Returning to God After God, proposes a third way between theism and atheism, advocating for a return to God after the experience of absence. Kearney's philosophical project reimagines the divine through phenomenology, hermeneutics, and narrative theory, emphasizing hospitality, imagination, and the possibility of re-encountering the sacred after traditional religious certainties have been questioned. His work significantly contributes to post-modern theology and the renewed philosophical interest in religion beyond conventional belief systems.