THE SECULARIZATION OF MODERN CULTURES

Secularization, in the author's mind, is a movement away from all traditional accepted norms and sensibilities, and from these historical orders in a culture that presupposes religious sanctions. Under this broad definition, secularization is interpreted as taking place, not only with respect to the rejection of traditional religion, but also within the concept of the state, and in such fields of ""sensibility"" as the arts. Thus, the secularized state is described as the state that pursues a policy of providing material well-being for the widest range of its citizenry, often with a corresponding loss of the sense of religious awe and of emotional sensitivity. The content of this volume was delivered as the Barrows Lectures in India, and the author addresses his analysis of the secularizing trend to the particular circumstances of that country. At the same time, he makes effective use of comparisons and contrasts with the American and the European tendencies. The result is an instructive volume which puts the discussion of secularism, now going on here and abroad, in a larger dimension than the religious circles in which it is centered. The style of the book lends itself to a varied audience.