Conversations in Philosophy: 'The Essence of Christianity' by Ludwig Feuerbach (and George Eliot)

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.
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James Wood teaches literature at Harvard University and is a staff writer for The New Yorker as well as a contributor to the London Review of Books. His books include How Fiction Works, The Broken Estate and The Irresponsible Self.
Jonathan Rée is a frequent contributor to the London Review of Books and a freelance writer and philosopher. His most recent book on philosophy is Witcraft: The Invention of Philosophy in English.
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This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:
Directly in Apple Podcasts: lrb.me/applecryt
In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsyt

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"He Brings Forth Light
It was the Creator who breathed life
into man, the divine, and all of creation
And it was He who laid down the cosmic cycle
of formation, stasis, decline, and dissolution
Most human lives in this world are higher
beings incarnate, here awaiting
His deliverance from misfortune
’Tis only that our divine nature has been lost over
the many rounds of reincarnation
The great sins that beings have accrued
have led to this disastrous state
Modern thought and today’s ways
are but the Devil’s path
Atheism and evolutionary theory are
wicked and without base
Men cannot help but sink into the mire
of this chaotic and troubled world
The Red Beast of Communism spreads
a disease most poisonous, near and far
The Creator has now come to this world,
though in a manner uneventful
He uses Truth to seek out the good
and cleanse them until wholly pure
With the spreading of Dafa [Great Law] on this earth,
He brings forth brilliant light
2020"
Master Li Hongzhi, Hong Yin VI, from Falun Dafa teachings