Public lectures and events

"What Does Geometry Have to Do with Mysticism? Space and Interiority in Medieval Christian Thought," a lecture by David Albertson (Professor of Religion, University of California). Co-presented with the Program in Medieval Studies

5:00 PM, Friday September 29 | 401 Physical Science Building or by Zoom (registration below)

Too often medieval Christian mysticism is confined to modern assumptions about religion. The soul and God alone seem unmeasurable; only the world can be measured. But this metric binary did not hold before the seventeenth century. Can we still hear in medieval mysticism a different experience of the world? By examining both female mystical visionaries and the austere mathematical theology of Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464), a different kind of geometry emerges, both before and beyond quantitative measurement.

David Albertson is Associate Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California. He is the author of Mathematical Theologies: Nicholas of Cusa and the Legacy of Thierry of Chartres (Oxford, 2014) and articles on medieval and Renaissance Christian mysticism, theology, and philosophy. Albertson’s research has been supported by a Fulbright Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is the Executive Director of the Nova Forum for Catholic Thought.

Walk-ins are always welcome. Registrations are appreciated (below).

Parking: There is some parking immediately behind the Physical Science Building on Sciences Drive: look for parking that is freed from University restrictions after 5 PM. Nearby metered parking can be found at the "Alumni Lot" at 616 Thurston Ave (outside of the Tang Welcome Center) and on the street at Thurston Avenue. Other nearby University parking that is free from restrictions starting at 5 PM can be found behind Sibley Hall. 

This lecture is made possible by the grant, "In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on College Campuses Nationwide," (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation.