The collection of essays The time of secularization, published in 1970, highlights the far sightedness of its author, the Italian Catholic philosopher Augusto del Noce. A philosopher of uncommon analytical depth, Augusto del Noce had foreseen half a century in advance not only the future of Catholicism in a secularized society – avoiding calling it “secularist” – but also a theory of human, political and social changes, which are particularly evident today. This essay aims to explore and summarize some crucial aspects of Del Noce’s work, which seem to mirror contemporary times: the separation between traditionalists and progressives, the effects of a kind of “new” enlightenment; the celebration of apathetic Nihilism.
