Fondamento autoritativo e «pluralismo». Alcune considerazioni sulla «plausibilità» del religioso nella società contemporanea

The «pluralistic» scenario – according to Peter Berger – is characterized by a significant freedom of choice of individuals concerning their religious beliefs: what people gain in terms of self-determination, they lose in terms of existential certainties. This scenario results from the progressive weakening of the authorita- tive foundation at the base of current Western society. The configurations of the sacred, like those of the process of individualization, reflect – as Marcel Gauchet teaches – the transformations of the social relationship with «Otherness». This paper aims to discuss this complex process.