Conversations in Philosophy: 'The Essence of Christianity' by Ludwig Feuerbach
<p>In&nbsp;<em>The Essence of Christianity</em>&nbsp;(1841) Feuerbach works through the theological crisis of his age to articulate the central, radical idea of 19th-century atheism: that the religion of God is really the religion of humanity. In this episode, Jonathan and James discuss the ways in which the book applies this thought to various aspects of Christian doctrine, from sexual relations to the Trinity, and consider why Feuerbach would never have described himself as an atheist. They also look at George Eliot’s remarkable translation of the work, published only thirteen years after the original, which not only ensured Feuerbach’s influence in the Anglophone world but invented a new philosophical vocabulary in English for German thought.</p><br><p>Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:</p><br><p>Directly in Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://lrb.me/applecrcip" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/applecrcip</a></p><p>In other podcast apps: <a href="https://lrb.me/closereadingscip" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadingscip</a></p><br><p>Further reading in the LRB:</p><br><p>James Wood: What next?</p><p><a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n08/james-wood/what-s-next" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n08/james-wood/what-s-next</a></p><br><p>Terry Eagleton: George Eliot</p><p><a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v17/n18/terry-eagleton/biogspeak" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v17/n18/terry-eagleton/biogspeak</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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Show Notes
In The Essence of Christianity (1841) Feuerbach works through the theological crisis of his age to articulate the central, radical idea of 19th-century atheism: that the religion of God is really the religion of humanity. In this episode, Jonathan and James discuss the ways in which the book applies this thought to various aspects of Christian doctrine, from sexual relations to the Trinity, and consider why Feuerbach would never have described himself as an atheist. They also look at George Eliot’s remarkable translation of the work, published only thirteen years after the original, which not only ensured Feuerbach’s influence in the Anglophone world but invented a new philosophical vocabulary in English for German thought.
Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:
Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applecrcip
In other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingscip
Further reading in the LRB:
James Wood: What next?
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n08/james-wood/what-s-next
Terry Eagleton: George Eliot
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v17/n18/terry-eagleton/biogspeak
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