The might have been and could be of religion in social theory

Religion may well be the most inscrutable surd of social theory, which bega n late in the 19(th) century dismissing the subject. Not even the renewal o f interest in religion in the 1960s did much to make religion a respectable topic in social theory. It is possible that social theory's troubles are, in part, due to its refusal to think about religion. Close examination of s ocial theories of Greek religion suggest, for principal example, that relig ion is perfectly able to thrive alongside the profane provided both are fou nded on principles of finitude, which in turn may be said to be the foundat ional axiom of any socially organized religion. The value of a social theor y of religion, thus defined, may be seen as a way out of the current contro versies over the politics of redistribution and politics of recognition. An y coherent principles of social justice, whether economic or cultural, may only be possible if one begins with the idea that all human arrangements ar e, first and foremost, limited - that is to say: finite; hence, strictly sp eaking, religious. Durkheim got this only partly right.