Feuerbach: overcoming religion as a form of human self-consciousness

Abstract

Religion is conceived as an effective manifestation of human self-cons-ciousness in Feuerbach’s critique. Based on this assumption, the present paper aims to contextualize his humanist approach within a historical framework in which it is seen as the next step in the development of human self-knowledge. Such a proposal would necessarily imply the recognition of the alienation mechanisms inherent in religion, and, in essence, overcoming it. Getting rid of speculative faith, the reduction of theology to anthropology would dismiss the supernatural elements from the conception of reality and this would represent a substantial step forward on the way to human plenitude.