"Man makes God in his own image"
Feuerbach inverted the religious story: not God who makes man, but man who projects his own love, wisdom and power and worships them as God. Marx took the next step toward historical materialism.
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Feuerbach
Anthropological materialism; critique of religion
Those Who Ground an Idea Into a Whole System · Disciples & School-Builders
MaterialismCritique of religionAnthropology
Who they are
Feuerbach (1804–1872), a leading Young Hegelian, argued that "the secret of theology is anthropology": God is only the human essence, alienated and projected onto heaven. By pulling Hegel’s Absolute Spirit back to the sensuous human being, he directly inspired Marx’s materialist turn.
Primary sourcesFeuerbach, The Essence of Christianity
Key stories
Relationships
Mentor
Echoes today
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
"Man makes God"The thesis that religion is a projection of human essence became, via Marx, a classic of the critique of religion.