A Secular Age

Synopsis

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year
A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Tablet Best Book of the Year
Winner of a Christianity Today Book Award

"One finds big nuggets of insight, useful to almost anybody with an interest in the progress of human society."
-The Economist

What does it mean to say that we live in a secular age? Almost everyone would agree that we-in the West, at least-largely do. And clearly the place of religion in our societies has changed profoundly in the last few centuries. In what will be a defining book for our time, Charles Taylor takes up the question of what these changes mean-of what, precisely, happens when a society in which it is virtually impossible not to believe in God becomes one in which faith, even for the staunchest believer, is only one human possibility among others.
Taylor, long one of our most insightful thinkers on such questions, offers a historical perspective. He examines the development in "Western Christendom" of those aspects of modernity which we call secular. What he describes is in fact not a single, continuous transformation, but a series of new departures, in which earlier forms of religious life have been dissolved or destabilized and new ones have been created. As we see here, today's secular world is characterized not by an absence of religion-although in some societies religious belief and practice have markedly declined-but rather by the continuing multiplication of new options, religious, spiritual, and anti-religious, which individuals and groups seize on in order to make sense of their lives and give shape to their spiritual aspirations.
What this means for the world-including the new forms of collective religious life it encourages, with their tendency to a mass mobilization that breeds violence-is what Charles Taylor grapples with, in a book as timely as it is timeless.

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Summary

Chapter 1: The Godless Age

* Summary: The book begins by outlining the central thesis: that the modern world is experiencing a decline in religious belief and practice. Taylor argues that this decline is not simply a matter of individuals becoming less interested in religion, but rather a fundamental shift in the way we think about the world.
* Real-world example: The decreasing attendance rates at religious services and the rising number of people who identify as non-religious.

Chapter 2: The Pre-Conditions of Secularization

* Summary: Taylor examines the historical and cultural factors that have led to the decline of religious belief. He argues that the rise of science, the Enlightenment, and industrial capitalism have all played a role in undermining the authority of religion.
* Real-world example: The widespread acceptance of the theory of evolution, which challenges traditional religious accounts of creation.

Chapter 3: The De-Clergification of Society

* Summary: Taylor argues that the decline of religious belief has led to a decline in the importance of religious institutions. In the past, the clergy played a central role in society, but today they have been replaced by secular professionals.
* Real-world example: The increasing number of people who seek therapy from psychologists rather than priests.

Chapter 4: The Immanent Frame

* Summary: Taylor argues that the loss of religious belief has led to a shift in our understanding of the world. In the past, people saw the world as imbued with religious significance, but today we see it as a secular place.
* Real-world example: The way in which we now view natural disasters as natural phenomena rather than divine punishments.

Chapter 5: The Secular Sublime

* Summary: Taylor argues that even in a secular age, we still feel the need for the transcendent. We seek out experiences that fill us with awe and wonder, even if we do not believe in God.
* Real-world example: The popularity of nature documentaries and the rise of mindfulness practices.

Chapter 6: The Return of Religion

* Summary: Taylor argues that while secularization is a real and ongoing process, it is not necessarily a permanent one. New forms of religious belief and practice are constantly emerging, and it is possible that a new age of faith could lie ahead.
* Real-world example: The growth of Pentecostalism and other charismatic Christian movements in recent decades.