The category of weak religion in Gianni Vattimo’s philosophical thought

Abstract

In postmodern cultural reality, reflection on religion and religiosity focuses primarily on the processes of secularization and desacralization, as well as on the emergence of novel forms of religiosity and the phenomenon of the return of religion. Gianni Vattimo considers the need for a return to religion, but in a form freed from its past burdens and infused with new, positive meaning. He bases the category of ‘weak religion’ on processes characteristic of modernity, such as secularization and hermeneutics. According to Vattimo, through its weakness and fragility, religion becomes capable of overcoming dogmas and becoming a space of freedom rather than an oppressive system of belief.