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6 Ludwig Feuerbach’s Ecological Humanism

  • Silvestre Gristina
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The Concept of Nature in Classical German Philosophy
This chapter is in the book The Concept of Nature in Classical German Philosophy

Abstract

This chapter argues that Feuerbach’s philosophy is a form of ecological humanism rather than a naturalistic humanism. To support this thesis, I examine the transformation of Feuerbach’s concept of nature from his idealistic period to his anti-speculative phase. I suggest that as the concept of nature changed, so Feuerbach’s idea of the relationship between humans and nature was also transformed. The outcome of this transformation is a conception of the relationship between the human being and nature in terms of a dynamic relationship of non-hierarchical co-production, whereby humans and nature form a dynamic ecosystem.

Abstract

This chapter argues that Feuerbach’s philosophy is a form of ecological humanism rather than a naturalistic humanism. To support this thesis, I examine the transformation of Feuerbach’s concept of nature from his idealistic period to his anti-speculative phase. I suggest that as the concept of nature changed, so Feuerbach’s idea of the relationship between humans and nature was also transformed. The outcome of this transformation is a conception of the relationship between the human being and nature in terms of a dynamic relationship of non-hierarchical co-production, whereby humans and nature form a dynamic ecosystem.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. 1 Introduction: The Resurgence of Classical German Natural Philosophy 1
  4. Part I Visions of Nature
  5. 2 Three Visions of Nature for German Idealism: Kant, Herder, Goethe 21
  6. 3 Nature as a “You”: Novalis’s Philosophical Extension of Fichte 45
  7. 4 Schelling on Comprehending Nature as an Absolute Activity: From Intellectual Intuition to Ecstasy of Reason 61
  8. 5 Hegel and the Rationality of Nature 77
  9. 6 Ludwig Feuerbach’s Ecological Humanism 91
  10. Part II Inorganic Nature
  11. 7 Kant’s Concept of Force and its Application in Physics and Psychology 111
  12. 8 From Kant to Schelling: Metaphysics of Nature and the Rise of Modern Science 135
  13. 9 Goethe’s Rational Empiricism 157
  14. 10 Hegel’s Concept of Inorganic Nature as Umwelt 183
  15. Part III Organic Nature
  16. 11 Nature versus Life: Dialectics and Physiology in Schelling 209
  17. 12 Anatomopathology of Reason: Bichat’s Legacy in Hegel’s Philosophy 229
  18. 13 The Emergence of Sentience: Hegel’s Conception of Animals 247
  19. 14 Great Chains of Being in Schelling’s Würzburg System 263
  20. 15 In What Sense is Nature a Scale of Degrees? Schelling and Hegel on “Degrees” in Nature 283
  21. Index of Names 295
  22. Index of Subjects 297
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111002453-006

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. 1 Introduction: The Resurgence of Classical German Natural Philosophy 1
  4. Part I Visions of Nature
  5. 2 Three Visions of Nature for German Idealism: Kant, Herder, Goethe 21
  6. 3 Nature as a “You”: Novalis’s Philosophical Extension of Fichte 45
  7. 4 Schelling on Comprehending Nature as an Absolute Activity: From Intellectual Intuition to Ecstasy of Reason 61
  8. 5 Hegel and the Rationality of Nature 77
  9. 6 Ludwig Feuerbach’s Ecological Humanism 91
  10. Part II Inorganic Nature
  11. 7 Kant’s Concept of Force and its Application in Physics and Psychology 111
  12. 8 From Kant to Schelling: Metaphysics of Nature and the Rise of Modern Science 135
  13. 9 Goethe’s Rational Empiricism 157
  14. 10 Hegel’s Concept of Inorganic Nature as Umwelt 183
  15. Part III Organic Nature
  16. 11 Nature versus Life: Dialectics and Physiology in Schelling 209
  17. 12 Anatomopathology of Reason: Bichat’s Legacy in Hegel’s Philosophy 229
  18. 13 The Emergence of Sentience: Hegel’s Conception of Animals 247
  19. 14 Great Chains of Being in Schelling’s Würzburg System 263
  20. 15 In What Sense is Nature a Scale of Degrees? Schelling and Hegel on “Degrees” in Nature 283
  21. Index of Names 295
  22. Index of Subjects 297
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