Feuerbachâs Conception of Theology or Philosophy of Religion as Anthropology

Jon Stewart

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Chapter 5 Feuerbachâs Conception of Theology or Philosophy of Religion as Anthropology

In: Modern and Postmodern Crises of Symbolic Structures

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Jon Stewart

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 79â92

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004440968_007

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Abstract

Feuerbachâs The Essence of Christianity tries to argue for the claim that it is a mistake to think of God as something objective, transcendent and fundamentally different from human beings, as is traditionally done in theology. Instead, according to his view, God is simply the essence of what is human, projected onto a fictional external entity. For this reason Feuerbach proposes to refer to his undertaking not as theology or philosophy of religion but as anthropology, that is, a study of the human. What is both striking and provocative here is that he argues that his radical reinterpretation of Christianity will not undermine it or diminish it; on the contrary, he claims, his theory will help to preserve it. In this paper I critically explore this claim by Feuerbach. Does it make sense to understand the field of theology or even the philosophy of religion as anthropology? I argue that Feuerbachâs proposal is a highly dubious attempt to reframe theology. His claim to be offering a support for religion is, I argue, disingenuous.

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Modern and Postmodern Crises of Symbolic Structures

Essays in Philosophical Anthropology

Series:Â Value Inquiry Book Series, Volume: 356, Value Inquiry Book Series Online, Volume: 356, and Studies in the History of Western Philosophy, Volume: 356

Cover Modern and Postmodern Crises of Symbolic Structures

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004440968

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 10 Oct 2020

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- Philosophy

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Chapter 5 Feuerbachâs Conception of Theology or Philosophy of Religion as Anthropology

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Modern and Postmodern Crises of Symbolic Structures

Essays in Philosophical Anthropology

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Chapter 5 Feuerbachâs Conception of Theology or Philosophy of Religion as Anthropology