Crisis, Kairos, and Kairotic Moments: A Consideration of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Light of Paul Tillich's Concept of Kairos

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikel

Tillich interpreted the situation after the First and the Second World War through the concept of kairos, emphasizing the situations as kairotic moments. I consider whether his concept of kairos can illuminate the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has been described as a crisis reaching beyond a mere health crisis. The pandemic is both illuminated by the idea of a kairotic moment as “a new beginning” and “a vacuum”, which contain the idea of possible transformation and by the idea of the reaction to the kairotic moment as being prone to error and as a demonically distorted moment. Thus, I consider if the development of his concept of kairos can illuminate the possibilities of a crisis and the actuality of a crisis.
Bidragets oversatte titelKrise, kairos, og kairotiske øjeblikke: En betragtning af COVID-19 pandemien i lyset af Paul Tillichs kairosbegreb
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftInternational Yearbook for Tillich Research
Vol/bind15
Sider (fra-til)37-52
Antal sider16
ISSN1990-4231
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2022

ID: 311703707