Rethinking secularism: speakers Judith Butler, Charles Taylor, Jürgen Habermas, and Cornel West

A dialogue with Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West

On October 22, 2009, over 1000 people gathered in the vast and venerable Great Hall at New York City’s Cooper Union to listen to four of our time’s preeminent public intellectuals discuss the place of religion in contemporary politics and public life.

We have gathered links to recordings, transcripts and other materials related to this event, as well as relevant posts from the archives of The Immanent Frame. We encourage you to browse, read, listen and, of course, contribute your own reflections to our ongoing discussion of “the power of religion in the public sphere.”

  • Listen: complete audio recordings of all four presentations
  • Read and listen: the conversation between Habermas and Taylor, moderated by Craig Calhoun
  • Read and listen: the conversation between Butler and West, moderated by Eduardo Mendieta
  • Participate: an open thread on “the power of religion in the public sphere”

Rethinking Secularism: The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere

From the archives: