The modern sciences, including the natural sciences, played a part in "secularizing" perception and thinking. The objective of this three-volume work is to show how different this scientific contribution was from case to case. It is noted, for instance, that it is often more appropriate to speak of a "Christianization" of thinking and that even "libertarianism" did not have a directly secularizing effect. Through examples of early modern science and literature anticipating the early 19th century, the concept of secularization is given historical contour. Diverging a good deal of current research, these volumes portray secularization as a long-term accumulation of knowledge and insight into interrelationships in the natural world. This second volume offers systematically arranged individual studies on phenomena of secularization in philosophy, law, theology, art and literature. Together, the three works create a conceptual and analytical foundation for understanding secularization, a key concept in research on early modern cultural and intellectual history.
