Idea of ‘Wholly Other’
The concept of the ‘Wholly Other’ comes from the German theologian Rudolf Otto in his book “The Idea of the Holy.” It refers to the divine as completely different and beyond human understanding. Otto described this as the numinous experience—an encounter with something mysterious, awe-inspiring, and powerful, yet completely foreign to human comprehension.
The ‘Wholly Other’ emphasizes the radical transcendence of God or the ultimate reality. It suggests that the divine is not just greater in degree but different in kind from anything we know. This idea plays a significant role in religious experience, where one feels both fascination and fear—a sense of being overwhelmed by the presence of the sacred.
Philosophically, it challenges attempts to define God in purely rational or scientific terms. Instead, it supports the view that some aspects of reality can only be approached through intuition, reverence, or mystical experience. The ‘Wholly Other’ thus highlights the limitations of human reason and the need for humility in theological inquiry.