Jürgen Habermas, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Frankfurt, will deliver the first of three scheduled lectures at Yale University today. The theme of the 2008 Castle Lectures is “The Resurgence of Religion: A Challenge to the Secular Self-Understanding of Modernity”:
Habermas will explore the scope and meaning of “secularization” in a contemporary world still largely influenced by enduring religious commitments. In his lectures, Habermas will argue that in an emerging multicultural global society, the encounter with religion as a contemporary intellectual formation requires secular thought to engage in a serious reflection on its own origins.
Today’s lecture will address “The Controversy Over the Secularization Hypothesis and the Role of Religion in a Post-Secular Society.” The second, to be held Tuesday, Oct. 7, will discuss “The Secular Level of Intercultural Communication in an Emergent, Multicultural World Society,” and the third, on Monday, Oct. 13, will reflect “On the Self-Understanding of Secular Reason.” The lectures, which are free and open to the public, will take place 4-5:30 p.m. in the Law School auditorium, 127 Wall St.
For more from Habermas, see “A ‘post-secular’ society – what does that mean?” This paper was presented at the Istanbul Seminars, organized by Reset Dialogues on Civilizations, in Istanbul during June 2008.