Senior Lecturer, Comparative Religion; Theory of Religion; Scientific Approaches to the Study of Religion
Yair Lior earned his B.A. in Western Philosophy and East Asian studies at Tel-Aviv University, an M.A. in traditional Chinese aesthetics from BNU China, and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Boston University.
Lior’s academic background is in comparative religion, theory of religion, and the scientific study of religion. In his comparative work Song dynasty intellectual history and the rise of Neo-Confucian ideology, and the rise of medieval Jewish philosophy and the school of Kabbalah in 12th-13th century Spain are used as case studies to support his theoretical claims. Lior is interested in the application of innovative methodologies to comparative religion, including systems theory, information theory and a cultural evolutionary framework.
Lior teaches BU’s Introduction to Religion course (RN100), Religion & Science (RN239), Jewish Mysticism (RN326/626), Chinese Religions (RN211), and several courses in BU’s Core program, dedicated to a close reading of great world classics.
Courses
- CAS RN 100 Introduction to Religion
- CAS RN 211 Chinese Religions
- CAS RN 239 Religion and Science
- CAS RN 325/625 Jewish Mysticism I: Formative Traditions