Feuerbach and the Interpretation of Religion

by Van A. Harvey

Overview

Ludwig Feuerbach is best known as the author of a sensational criticism of Christianity in the mid-nineteenth century. Although some scholars regard this criticism of Christianity as important in its own right, most view it as pertinent because of its anticipation of the views of Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud. Harvey's book argues that this is an inadequate interpretation of Feuerbach's significance. By exploring works of Feuerbach that have been virtually ignored, he convincingly demonstrates their contemporary relevance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521586306
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/06/1997
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Religion and Critical Thought , #1
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	332
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Professor Van A. Harvey is George Edwin Burnell Professor of Religious Studies Emeritus at Stanford University. He is the author of Handbook of Theological Terms (1964) and The Historian and the Believer (1966). Feuerbach and the Interpretation of Religion won the American Academy of Religion Award for Excellence in Constructive-Reflective Studies.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Note on the text and abbreviations; Introduction; 1. 'Projection' in The Essence of Christianity; 2. The interpretative strategy informing The Essence of Christianity; 3. The criticism of religion in The Essence of Christianity; 4. Feuerbach's intellectual development; 5. The new bipolar model of religion; 6. The new interpretative strategy; 7. Feuerbach and contemporary projection theories; 8. Feuerbach, anthropomorphism, and the need for religious illusion; Select bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"If this series measures up to its first volume, it will be a distinguished series indeed....a summary cannot do justice to the richness and subtlety of Harvey's analysis and interpretation of Feuerbach...." Owen C. Thomas, Anglican Theological Review

"Van Harvey's study of Feuerbach offers one of the most extensive re-evaluations of Feuerbach this century. It should become a major source for refocusing upon this thinker who is germaine to the study of religion. This is a stimulating and thought-provoking book which is destined to become a classic in Feuerbach studies and essential reading for all engaged in the social-scientific study of religious belief." Thomas Hobbes, Word Trade

From the Publisher