Interpreting Charles Taylor's Social Theory on Religion and Secularization

This book examines "Taylorean sociology", its sociological sources, main characteristics and impact. Charles Taylor's meta-narrative of secularization in the West, prominently contained in his major work A Secular Age (2007), has brought new insight on the social and cultural factors that intervened in such process, and particularly on the contemporary conditions of belief in North America and Europe. This volume discusses what Taylor's approach has brought to the scholarly debate on secularization in the West, which has been carried on mostly in sociological terms. It uncovers the underlying sociological assumptions operative in Taylor's views, an interpretation that is possible with the help of British sociologist Margaret Archer's "morphogenetic theory" and by taking into account Taylor's particular understanding of the sciences of man and their methodologies. After exploring the sociological sources informing this "Taylorean sociology" and proposing its main characteristics, the book compares it with the two most widespread theories of secularization: the now waning "orthodox" account and that proposed by Rational Choice Theory scholars, particularly prevalent in the United States. In doing so, the book shows how Taylorean sociology supersedes the other theories, which new issues it brings into the scholarly discussion, and what difficulties limit its future development.