I think what I and most other sociologists of religion wrote in the 1960s about secularization was a mistake. Our underlying argument was that secularization and modernity go hand in hand. With more modernization comes more secularization. Peter L. Berger 1960sargumenthand share on social
One can't understand the Christian Right and similar movements unless one sees them as reactive - they're reacting to what they call secular humanism. Peter L. Berger callchristianhumanism Change image and share on social
When certain branches of the economy become obsolete, as in the case of the steel industry, not only do jobs disappear, which is obviously a terrible social hardship, but certain cultures also disappear. Peter L. Berger branchcaseculture share on social
In a market economy, however, the individual has some possibility of escaping from the power of the state. Peter L. Berger economyescapeindividual Change image and share on social
We also have a cultural phenomenon: the emergence of a global culture, or of cultural globalization. Peter L. Berger culturalcultureemergence Change image and share on social
So I think one can say on empirical grounds - not because of some philosophical principle - that you can't have democracy unless you have a market economy. Peter L. Berger democracyeconomyempirical Change image and share on social
But we don't have an example of a democratic society existing in a socialist economy - which is the only real alternative to capitalism in the modern world. Peter L. Berger alternativecapitalismdemocratic Change image and share on social
Some people seem to gravitate from one fundamentalism to another, from some kind of secular fundamentalism into a religious fundamentalism or the other way around, which is not very helpful. Peter L. Berger fundamentalismgravitatehelpful Change image and share on social
The basic fault lines today are not between people with different beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with a pretense of certitude. Peter L. Berger basicbeliefcertitude share on social
Some people think that as the Chinese economy becomes more and more capitalistic it will inevitably become more democratic. Peter L. Berger capitalisticchinesedemocratic Change image and share on social
