Abstract:
Vito Mancuso is an Italian theologian and philosopher of religion, who deflects from traditional Catholic
theology with the intention to draft a new perspective on how theology should be understood, not only
in the academy but also in public and private life. This is why he resorts to Hegelian concepts, which
redefine most of what traditional theology has held dear throughout history, with a specific focus on
how to turn theology from ideas defined by divinity to notions explained by anthropology. A prolific
writer, Mancuso has written almost one book per year for the past decade or so, while he is also very
active in the media by giving interviews and writing short articles for famous Italian newspapers, such
as La repubblica. In all his endeavors, Mancuso attempts to provide contemporary society with a view
of God which is essentially human and profoundly anthropologic in nature in the hope that such an
understanding of God will make sense of humanity’s current issues and struggles. Despite the rather
controversial fame he acquired in Italy, Mancuso is virtually unknown to the English-speaking public,
so this paper is an attempt to present him to those who are not only versed in English theology and
philosophy of religion, but also to those who still believe that theology and philosophy of religion may
be valuable instruments for the information and transformation of today’s society.
