The Shift in Habermas's Philosophical Thought on the Role of Religion in the Public Sphere

Although some scholars view Habermas as the most important philosopher and social theorist, his account of religion has been relatively neglected. In this paper, Habermas’s early and later views of religion are outlined, and the change in his understanding of religion from one of the sources of modernity’s inner problems to a principal source of the passions and motivations underpinning cultural life today is mapped. I argue that the relative neglect of Habermas’s work on religion is unfortunate, as it offers a creative and important attempt to move beyond the secular assumptions that have characterised much modern study of religion. In this paper, my main aim is to critically examine Habermas’s account of the role of religion in public sphere. The methods used in this research are content analysis and a comparative study of Habermas’s early and recent thoughtmove beyond the secular assumptions that have characterised much modern study of religion. In this paper, my main aim is to critically examine Habermas’s account of the role of religion in public sphere. The methods used in this research are content analysis and a comparative study of Habermas’s early and recent thought. move beyond the secular assumptions that have characterised much modern study of religion. In this paper, my main aim is to critically examine Habermas’s account of the role of religion in public sphere. The methods used in this research are content analysis and a comparative study of Habermas’s early and recent thought