AUC Theologica is a peer-reviewed journal for theology published twice a year. As we publish original papers in English, German, French, and Italian, our mission is to serve as a platform both for Czech researchers, who can present their research results in these languages, and for international contributors, who are invited to enter the academic theological discussion in the heart of Europe.
The journal focuses on a wide range of theological disciplines, such as systematic theology, biblical studies, patristic studies, pastoral and spiritual theology, religious education, church history, etc. Within these fields, the journal seeks to reflect the current theological questions and problems, which often requires interdisciplinary approaches. Supporting the intersection of various theological disciplines, we thus also welcome theological papers touching other academic fields including philosophy, sociology, literary studies, and science.
Each issue consists of two sections. The thematic section presents papers of the same focus. The section called ‘Varia’ invites papers dealing with various theological themes from the perspective of all Christian traditions. Our current and past issues are approachable for free on this website in the form of Open Access.
AUC THEOLOGICA, Vol 14 No 2 (2024), 151–172
Animal Religiosity: Opportunities and Ontological Limits of an Impervious Philosophical Proposal
Simon Francesco Di Rupo
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/23363398.2025.9
published online: 12. 09. 2025
abstract
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the fascinating hypothesis of animal religiosity. In this respect, we are interested in Donovan Schaefer’s philosophical proposal, specifically his text Religious Affects. In Schaefer’s conceptual framework, the ‘theory of affects’ finds a privileged place, basically as an emphasis on the importance of the pre-linguistic affective sphere. Here, man and animal can learn about kinship, which, according to Schaefer, also implies religious experience. However, this kind of concept of ‘religious feeling’ distances itself from the legacy of the phenomenology of religion. By criticizing this specific aspect, we will try to understand where this proposal can generate aporetic signs of discontinuity with a reliable concept of religiosity. In our concluding thesis, we will show that the importance given to animals, given correct ecological thinking, does not have an enemy in the religious specificity of man.
keywords: Animal; Religiosity; Affects; Sacred; Ontology
Animal Religiosity: Opportunities and Ontological Limits of an Impervious Philosophical Proposal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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ISSN: 1804-5588
E-ISSN: 2336-3398
