secularthat

Secularthat is a term used in contemporary philosophy and social theory to describe a secular ethical framework that seeks to ground public life in non-theistic reasoning while remaining open to diverse worldviews. It emphasizes practical ethics, empirical understanding, and institutions that treat religion as a private matter rather than a basis for political authority. The term is not widely standardized and appears in sporadic scholarly writings and online discourse as a way to articulate a tempered secularism capable of accommodating religious and nonreligious perspectives within pluralistic societies.

The word is a neologism, blending secular and that, and emerged in early 21st-century debates about secularism and ethics. Its exact provenance is diffuse, without a single founder, and its usage varies by author and platform. It is typically used to signal a stance that values secular reasoning while acknowledging the meaningful role of religious and existential questions for many people.

Core ideas include a commitment to public reason and non-discrimination, the separation of church and state, and reliance on empirical evidence and rational debate for policy decisions. Secularthat also emphasizes human welfare, autonomy, and dignity, while supporting cultural pluralism and the rights of minorities. It aims to provide a robust framework for ethical deliberation in diverse societies without prescribing metaphysical beliefs.

Critics argue that secularthat can be vague or tautological, risking equivocation between secularism and moral consensus. Some fear it may dilute normative commitments by avoiding firm foundations, while others defend it as a pragmatic middle ground that respects pluralism without privileging any single worldview.

See also: Secularism, Secular humanism, Public reason, Pluralism.