The Essence of Christianity

Feuerbach occupies an interesting space chronologically among the other prominent philosophers of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Often overshadowed by larger names and more influential works, Feuerbach is a critical figure in his own right. Coming before him in the 18th century were figures such as Edmund Burke, Johann Fichte, David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and perhaps most famously Immanuel Kant. Contemporary to him or following in his wake (in the 19th and 20th centuries) were figures such as Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Martin Buber. Feuerbach was not recognized as particularly significant in his own day, but is studied today alongside the most prominent philosophers.

One thing that makes Feuerbach’s approach to religious philosophy so unique is that he is quite open about his anti-theistic position. Many of his predecessors and contemporaries were similarly critical of religion, but ultimately maintained some degree of piety or at least pretended to. Feuerbach, on the other hand, dispenses with these options and clearly states his position that religion is a reflection of human experience, and nothing more.