On the Totality, Secularism and Post-Secularism (Reflections on the Article by G. B. Goutner)

The article discusses in what sense the great cultural epistemes – such as the sacred episteme of Christian Middle Ages and the secular episteme of modern Europe – can be called total or repressive. At the same time, secularisation is understood as a local historical process that has not only time but also geographical constraints. Since the beginning of the XXI century there is ongoing widespread discussion about post-secularism that is supposedly taking place of secularism. The author tries to show that this statement is true only in a very narrow sense. The article challenges G. B. Goutner’s opinion that Habermas’ theory of discourse is a new global post-secular project, which overcomes the total character of previous cultural epistemes