Thought-provoking and tightly argued, this coherent collection of 12 essays engages with the philosophical shift into secularism as described in Taylor's landmark A secular age (Harvard U. Press, 2007), using his book as a departure for detailed examination of historical trends, on the one hand, or in-depth critique of Taylor's arguments and conclusions, on the other. Following a lengthy introduction, the first essay analyzes the philosophical tenets of secularism in Taylor and other thinkers such as Maruyama Masao and Jurgen Habermas. Other essays focus on specific historical eras, describing the concept in works by thinkers that include Hegel and Husserl; the religious and secular in Protestant countries and colonial America; and in the work of 18th-century thinkers in Catholic countries, such as Giambattista Vico. Other chapters look at attitudes and philosophies concerning the secular in the contemporary world, including in non-Christian communities. The volume concludes with an essay on A secular age by Charles Taylor himself. Most of the essays are revised versions of talks given at an April 2008 conference at Yale U. Annotation ⓒ2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)