The Blind Spots of the Dominant Secularization Theories

Abstract

This chapter offers a conceptual analysis of the secularization paradigm as it was constructed by the dominant sociological fathers and the reception hereof. The reason for this is that an examination of the failure of secularization theories should lead to significant discussions in the field of sociology. Broadly speaking, the conceptual analysis points to the establishment of sociology, especially in Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim’s case, through a complete empiricist break with the natural law tradition. Through empiricism, earlier writers such as Thomas Hobbes that paid great attention to the state were dismissed completely. Sociology as well as international relations emerged as independent disciplines and were little concerned with each other. In the case of sociology, empiricism contributed to the establishment of sociology as an independent and self-sufficient discipline. The conceptual analysis suggests that the study of secularization might benefit if much more attention were paid to the fundamental conceptual framework, especially the agency of the state and interreligious agency.