The Frankfurt School on Religion: Key Writings by the Major Thinkers

The Frankfurt School on Religion: Key Writings by the Major Thinkers. Edited by Eduardo Mendieta. New York and London: Routledge, 2005. vii + 405 pp. $28.95 (paper).

Religion has once again become a fashionable topic in philosophy and social theory. Many cultural theorists and sociologists are now critical of the presumption that, in modern societies, religious communities and discourse will become increasingly marginalized and irrelevant in the face of scientific knowledge and ethnic pluralism. The Frankfurt School on Religion brings together some of the early sources of this emerging critique of the so-called "secularization thesis." The book represents a significant contribution to rethinking the place of religion in what is referred to as our "post-secular" world. It will be of interest to those concerned with the status of religion in contemporary society, philosophy of religion, moral theory, and the relationship between theology and social theory.

The "Frankfurt School" is the name often given to a diverse group of philosophers and social theorists who assembled in...