Ludwig Feuerbach

Ludwig Feuerbach
Born
Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach

(1804-07-28)28 July 1804
Died13 September 1872(1872-09-13) (aged 68)
Rechenberg near Nuremberg, German Empire
Education
EducationUniversity of Heidelberg
University of Berlin
University of Erlangen
(Ph.D./Dr. phil. habil., 1828)
Theses
Philosophical work
Era19th-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolAnthropological materialism
Secular humanism
Young Hegelians (1820s)
Main interestsPhilosophy of religion
Notable ideasAll theological concepts as the reifications of anthropological concepts
Signature

Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach (/ˈfɔɪərbɑːx/; German: [ˈluːtvɪç ˈfɔʏɐbax]; 28 July 1804 – 13 September 1872) was a German anthropologist and philosopher, best known for his book The Essence of Christianity, which provided a critique of Christianity that strongly influenced generations of later thinkers, including Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Engels, Mikhail Bakunin, Richard Wagner, Frederick Douglass, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

An associate of Young Hegelian circles, Feuerbach advocated anthropological materialism. Many of his philosophical writings offered a critical analysis of religion. His thought was influential in the development of historical materialism, where he is often recognized as a bridge between Hegel and Marx.