Radical Secularization? ― An Inquiry into the Religious Roots of Secular Culture

What does it mean for a society to be secular? Answering this question from a philosophical angle,Radical Secularization? delves into the philosophical presuppositions of secularization. Which cultural evolutions made secularization possible? International scholars from different disciplines assess the answers given by many leading philosophers such as, among others, Lowith, Blumenberg and Habermas (Germany), Gauchet and Nancy (France), Taylor and Bellah (North America). They examine the theory that secularization cannot only be regarded as a cultural change that was forced upon religion from anexternal source (e.g. science), but should also be considered as a phenomenon triggered by motivesinternal to religion. If religions are indeed capable of inner transformations, the question arises whether religions can persist in the secular societies they inadvertently helped to bring about, and how secular societies may accommodate religion.

Stijn Latre is Lecturer at the University of Antwerp, Belgium.

Walter Van Herck is Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy and the Centre Pieter Gillis of the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He is the co-editor ofHumour and Religion (2011) and The Sacred in the City (2012). He is Editor-in-Chief ofBijdragen, International Journal in Theology and Philosophy.

Guido Vanheeswijck is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and is part-time professor at the Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven, Belgium. He is a member of the editorial board of the journalsBijdragen and Collingwood and British Idealism Studies.