Ludwig Feuerbach argues in The Essence of Christianity (1841) that theology is anthropology: God is human nature projected and worshipped. The book turns a generation, Marx and Engels among them, and gives atheism its humanist form, religion explained as man's own essence estranged from himself.
Tagged: Atheism Humanism Secular and Non-Theistic
The Event
- Date
- 1841 (exact)
- Era
- Secular Modernity; Standard periodization of secular and non-religious history
- Location
- Leipzig; today Germany
- Traditions
- Secular
- Streams
- Atheism, Humanism
- Key figures
- Ludwig Feuerbach
- Key texts
- The Essence of Christianity
Primary Sources
- Feuerbach, The Essence of Christianity.
Secondary Sources
- Gottlieb, Anthony. The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy. New York: Liveright, 2016.
- Jacoby, Susan. Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2004.
- Taylor, Charles. A Secular Age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007.
- Zuckerman, Phil, ed. Atheism and Secularity. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2010.
Provenance: HIST-1313; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-28.
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