Reconstructing the Secular Age in Charles Taylor

This paper discusses how Charles Taylor reconstructs the secular age. Taylor's thesis is that the secular age can not be restricted to the idea of the exit of religion from the public sphere (secularity 1), nor can it only means the reduction of religious beliefs and practices (secularity 2). Taylor proposes a new reading of the secular age (secularity 3), in which the pluralism of believers and non-believers would be the best description for a world that is secularizing, but at the same time, the doctrines of faith continue to influence people's lifestyles. Taylor emphasizes that religion is still related to the formation of different identities, as it exercises, at the same time, a perspective of recognition of subjects, even in modern societies. In the final part of the paper, criticisms on Taylor's philosophy are discussed, based on the theoretical proposals of Jurgen Habermas and Nancy Fraser. The methodology consisted of some of Taylor's works (mainly A Secular Age, as the key work of this article), as well as of its interpreters and scholars.