Love, Death, and Revolution in Central Europe

Ludwig Feuerbach, Moses Hess, Louise Dittmar, Richard Wagner

Peter C. Caldwell

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780230622708
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophy History & Theory

The philosopher of religion and critic of idealism, Ludwig Feuerbach had a far-reaching impact on German radicalism around the time of the Revolution of 1848. This intellectual history explores how Feuerbach s critique of religion served as a rallying point for radicals, and how they paradoxically sought to create a new, post-religious form of religiosity as part of the revolutionary aim. At issue for the Feuerbachian radicals was the emergence of a humanity emancipated from the constraints of mere institutions, able to express itself freely and harmoniously. Caldwell also touches on Moses Hess, Louise Dittmar, and Richard Wagner in his discussion of the time. Thisbook reconstructs the nature of Feuerbach s radicalism and shows how it influenced early works of socialism, feminism, and musical modernism.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction: Love, Death, and Ludwig Feuerbach’s Philosophy of Revolution
• 1 Feuerbachian Radicalism: The Finitude of the World and Infinite Human Potential
• 2 Moses Hess, Love, and “True Socialism”
• 3 Louise Dittmar, Myth, and Marriage
• 4 Richard Wagner, Love, and Death
• 5 Ethics and Finitude in the Late Feuerbach
• Conclusion: The Feuerbachian Moment
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index