The Impacts of Modernity upon Religiosity: A Critical Study of Charles Taylor

Abstract

The relationship between modernity and religiosity has been in the center of many scholarly debates. Among others, Charles Taylor presents in his works a general picture of the elements that shape the secular age. He starts with the question why people used to be faithful, while they are not easily so in our age. To answer, he explores the past five centuries in the West and coins some terms to explain what happened. Among these terms, the “conditions of belief" is a key concept to explain the current situation. This article discusses four impacts that, according to Taylor, modernity had on religion. Additionally, it tries to shed some light on certain aspects of Taylor's ideas and critically analyze them. Finally, it concludes that although Taylor's work helps us better understand our age and the modern situation of faith, it needs to be modified and completed.