About the author
Canadian philosopher (b. 1931), one of the most influential living thinkers on religion, identity, and modernity. A Secular Age (2007) asks how Western societies moved from a world in which belief in God was unavoidable to one in which it is merely one option among many. Rejecting simple 'subtraction' stories of secularisation, Taylor offers a sweeping account of how the conditions of belief themselves changed — a landmark in the study of religion and the modern self.
Synopsis
A large philosophical history of secularization, belief, unbelief, modern identity, and the conditions of faith.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted workTaylor asks why belief in God became one option among others rather than the default background of society.
This is central for users interested in religion and modernity: the question is not just what people believe, but what belief feels like now.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with Nietzsche, Weber, or more traditional theological accounts.
Reading note
Very long and advanced, but one of the most important modern books on secularism.
Best paired with
Max Weber, Science as a Vocation.