ABSTRACT
The model of secularism advanced by Taylor must be placed in the context of his writings on the subject of secularity and the conditions for belief in modern Western societies. Secularity refers to the long historical and cultural process that profoundly changed relationships to belief in Western societies and introduced a diversity of ontological options, both religious and non-religious, in the public sphere. Secularism is therefore the political response to secularity. The Taylorian model of secularism appears more inclusive than the competing models of Habermas and Rawls and better able to avoid the differentiated treatment that introduce in terms of the respective place of secular and religious discourse in the political spheres. Taylor approaches religion in terms of a transcendent experience that can take multiple and varied expressions. Taylor's critique of liberalism maintains that if liberal principles offer the necessary and minimal conditions for a peaceful society in a context of diversity, they remain incomplete to ensure a common identity.
