Authoritative foundation and ‘pluralism’. Some considerations on the ‘plausibility’ of the religious in contemporary society

Abstract

The «pluralistic» scenario – according to Peter Berger – is characterized by a significant freedom of choice of individuals concerning their religious beliefs: what people gain in terms of self-determination, they lose in terms of existential certainties. This scenario results from the progressive weakening of the authoritative foundation at the base of current Western society. The configurations of the sacred, like those of the process of individualization, reflect – as Marcel Gauchet teaches – the transformations of the social relationship with «Otherness». This paper aims to discuss this complex process.