Abstract
The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the concept of secularization based on the theory of functional differentiation of Niklas Luhmann. This theory provides robust elements both to define precisely the concept of secularism but also to understand its meaning for the relations between religion and society in today’s world. The central thesis is that secularization must be conceived as the main consequence of functional differentiation for religious life: it can be defined as the necessity, faced by any religion of this world, of having to build their beliefs and practices in a world ordered not only by religious references.
Keywords
Secularization; Modernity; Functional Differentiation; World Society; Religion