Advance reservations are now open for the forthcoming volume Joseph Ratzinger in Dialogue with Philosophical Traditions, Volume II: From Aristotle to Žižek, edited by Alejandro Sada, Tracey Rowland, and Rudy Albino de Assunção, to be published by Bloomsbury T&T Clark in 2026.
This volume continues the international research project inaugurated with Joseph Ratzinger in Dialogue with Philosophical Traditions, Volume I, which explored the diverse philosophical influences and interlocutors present in Joseph Ratzinger’s thought through the work of an international body of scholars. The series seeks to illuminate the breadth of Ratzinger’s engagement with philosophy and to highlight the distinctive synthesis of faith and reason that characterizes his theological work.
Following an introductory study by Pablo Blanco-Sarto on the relationship between philosophy and theology in Ratzinger’s thought, the present volume expands the circle of philosophical interlocutors and offers a more fully articulated account of the historical depth of Ratzinger’s intellectual engagements. Individual chapters explore his dialogue with major thinkers such as Aristotle, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Levinas, Arendt, Wojtyła, Adorno, Žižek, and many others, while a series of thematic studies addresses fundamental loci of the encounter between philosophy and theology in Ratzinger’s work, including Sacred Scripture, liturgy, science, and human experience.
Many of the studies gathered in this volume were prepared by scholars belonging to the International Ratzinger Foundation Academic Network, whose ongoing collaboration has provided an important context for the development of this project. Bringing together contributors from fourteen countries, the present book reflects not only individual research efforts but also a shared intellectual enterprise fostered by the Foundation.
Taken as a whole, the volume reveals with renewed clarity a fundamental conviction that runs throughout Ratzinger’s thought: Christian faith does not withdraw from the demands of reason but seeks to enter into dialogue with the deepest questions of human existence. In this sense, Ratzinger’s engagement with philosophy emerges not as a merely academic exercise but as a service to truth capable of illuminating the path of human inquiry.
Continuing the work inaugurated by the first volume published in 2024, the present book aims to serve as a major scholarly resource for those interested in theology, philosophy, and the intellectual legacy of Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI.
Link to volume 1.
Link to volume 2.