Christian SCHMIDT, Université de Leipzig (Allemagne)

In his notorious book The Jewish Question (1843), Bruno Bauer declared the irreconcilability of religious traditions and human emancipation. The book stirred immediately a wide debate within the German Jewish community. In part this was due to the anti-Semitic argument that culminated in the declaration that Judaism is fighting a war of annihilation against humanity and history. But in part, it was also a reaction to the claim that true emancipation presupposes the renunciation of Judaism and all religions. Bauer’s universalistic argument was a forerunner of secularist movements for modernisation. Today it is challenged by authors as distinguished as Michael Walzer and Jürgen Habermas who plead for fostering the integration of religious groups in public discourse. However, those post-secular politics are still haunted by the problem that Bauer posed as I will show in my presentation.