Religion Secularism

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

The contemporary philosopher Charles Taylor introduced his remarkable survey of the modern condition, A Secular Age (2007), by posing the following question: “Why was it virtually impossible not to believe in God in, say, 1500 in our Western society, while in 2000 many of us find this not only easy, but even inescapable?” Taylor’s analysis attempts to map the cultural and intellectual transformations which have eroded the religious confidence of many living within contemporary Western societies. Using Taylor’s work as a starting point, this course explores some of the primary factors and historical developments which have created anxieties around religion for many modern people. Later sections of the course focus on some significant public controversies over religion in its engagements with secularism(s) as well some of the responses generated by faith communities to this spectrum of challenges.