By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the religious phenomenon in general terms and the various ways of understanding it.
2. Describe the complex relationship between politics and religion in European history.
3. Explain what the liberal state is and describe the history of its emergence in Europe.
4. Describe different ways of understanding the relationship between the state and religions in the modern era.
5. Describe, using Catholicism as an example, how a religious tradition can reinterpret its relationship to religious freedom and to the discourse on human rights.
6. Argue one’s own position regarding the relationship between the liberal state and religious and traditional sources.
This course introduces students to reflection on the fundamental issues of existence and their interaction with social life. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Discuss the place of religion, not only in institutionalized religions but also in personal and social life more broadly.
Explain the complexity of the relationship between religion and the state, and the importance of taking this interaction into account.
Take and argue a position on how religions can serve as a resource for democratic societies, as well as on the risks or dangers they also pose.
This course explores the relationship between religion and politics in societies, with a particular focus on the history and current situation in Europe. In doing so, it aims to shed broader light on current issues regarding the role and place of religions in our societies, as well as the challenges facing democracy in pluralistic societies.
The course will consist of three main parts.
The first part will be devoted to religious meaning and the religious phenomenon as a whole. Among other things, it will seek to demonstrate the extent to which the religious dimension transcends adherence to an institutional religion and intersects with the existential questions inherent in all human life. This part will draw heavily on the approaches of Émile Durkheim, Rudolf Otto, Emmanuel Levinas, and Karl Jaspers.
The second part will address the relationship between politics and religion as it has unfolded in Western Europe. It will focus on the emergence of the liberal state and its roots in the wars of religion. It will also explore various ways of understanding the connection between the religious dimension, the ethical dimension of existence, and political modernity. The ideas of Karl Marx, on the one hand, and Henri Bergson, on the other, will serve as a foundation.
The third part will focus more specifically on the relationship between religions and the liberal state in our contemporary societies. It will center on the issue of human rights and religious freedom, as well as on the line of though, introduced by Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde in 1964, regarding the foundations of democratic societies. Drawing on the dialogue that took place in 2004 between the philosopher Jürgen Habermas and Cardinal (and future Pope) Josef Ratzinger, the discussion will explore how religions and democracy can support one another. The example of the encyclical Laudato Si (2015), devoted to ecological challenges, and, to a lesser extent, that of Magnifica Humanitas (2026), devoted to artificial intelligence, will illustrate this potential complementarity between religious approaches and social issues.
Oral course, note taking, PowerPoint
Written exam, closed book, with questions covering different parts of the course. Some questions will invite students to develop their own personal reflections.
Useful references can be found on webcampus.
| Training | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| List of cross-disciplinary teaching units | 1 | 3 | No |
| Bachelor in Biomedical Sciences | 2 | 3 | No |
| Bachelor in Economics and Management | 3 | 3 | No |
| Bachelor in Political Sciences : General | 3 | 3 | No |
| Bachelor in Information and Communication | 3 | 3 | No |
| Bachelor in Business Engineering | 3 | 3 | No |