Alan M Olson

Alan M. Olson (1939-2023) was an American-French academic specializing in the Philosophy of Religion. He held emeritus status at Boston University, where he also chaired the Religion and Philosophy departments. His academic journey included degrees from Saint Olaf College, Luther Theological Seminary, Nashotah House, and Boston University. Olson's career was marked by significant academic roles, including program coordination for the Boston University Institute for Philosophy and Religion and executive directorship of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy. He was also a Senior Fulbright Research Fellow at the University of Tübingen and a visiting fellow at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna. Olson was active in professional organizations, serving on the Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association and as past president of the Karl Jaspers Society of North America. He delivered the Jaspers Lectures at Oxford and co-edited the philosophical journal, Existenz.

Emeritus Professor Alan M. Olson dedicated a significant portion of his career to Boston University, serving in leadership roles such as Chairman of the Religion Department from 1980 to 1987 and interim Chairman of the Philosophy Department from 1987 to 1989. During the 1970s, he was instrumental as the Program Coordinator for the Boston University Institute for Philosophy and Religion. His contributions extended to international academic events, notably as the executive director for the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy held in Boston in 1998. Olson also held prestigious research fellowships, including a Senior Fulbright Research Fellowship at the University of Tübingen in Germany and another at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna, Austria.

Olson's scholarly work delved into complex philosophical and religious themes. He co-edited the journal 'Existenz' from 2006 to 2015 with Helmut Wautischer, contributing to ongoing philosophical discourse. His published works include 'Transcendence and Hermeneutics,' 'The Seeing Eye' (co-authored), 'Hegel and the Spirit,' and edited volumes such as 'Disguises of the Demonic,' 'Myth, Symbol, and Reality,' and 'Heidegger and Jaspers.' He also co-edited 'Transcendence and the Sacred' and 'Philosophical Faith and the Future of Humanity,' indicating a sustained engagement with concepts of the transcendent and the sacred within philosophical frameworks. His academic affiliations and lectures, such as the Jaspers Lectures at Oxford, underscore his involvement in existentialist and phenomenological thought.