Defining laïcité is not choosing it: criteria, not verdicts

Abstract

Is defining laïcité a way of choosing a side under cover of vocabulary? That is the fear this column means to dispel. To define, here, is not to settle the matter: it is to give ourselves criteria. And a criterion is not a verdict — like a price ("one hundred euros, is that dear?"), it takes its meaning only once placed back in context. By breaking laïcité down into a few simple criteria — closure, recognition —, we trade banners ("for or against?") for positions each of us can locate and discuss. It is then for each of us to judge whether a given settlement is habitable, or not. A sequel to "De-ideologising laïcité". Op-ed no. 3, published on laiciscope.org; critical material tied to the book "Laïcité through the Lens of Reason" (D. A. Zighed).