The Fall of Secularism by Gerald J. Russello 9/10/08 Recently, the influential German philosopher Jürgen Habermas spoke of the emergence of a "post-secular" society. It had long been thought that as societies grew in technological and economic power, and as the risks of daily life that had been so common for generations faded beneath the safety of plentiful food, a social welfare system, and medical skill, the need for religion would fade. This was the so-called "secularization thesis," which held sway among anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists for decades. However, as Habermas notes, this thesis has come under attack in...
