Introduction. - Chapter 1: Three theses. - Chapter 2: Similar views.- PART 1: A NEW SECULARIZATION THESIS.- Chapter 3: Intrinsic goals and sphere-immanent rationalities.- Chapter 4: Religion and the absolute.- Chapter 5: Authenticity, morality, and the post-Enlightenment absolute.- Chapter 6: Authenticity in ancient China and Rome.- Chapter 7: Montaigne's authenticity.- Chapter 8: Mortality and Montaignean authenticity.- Chapter 9: A naturalistic proof of the validity of the authenticity command.- Chapter 10: Three comments on the naturalistic proof.- Chapter 11: The thesis. PART 2: OBJECTIONS.- Chapter 12: Religion cannot be perfected, least of all by authenticity.- Chapter 13: Claims on the absolute must be infallible.- Chapter 14: Hegel's red herring.- Chapter 15: Rational metaphysics cannot relate to the absolute.- Chapter 16 Secular societies can do without anything absolute.- Chapter 17: Secularization is a unique Western development.- Epilogue.- Bibliography.- Index.