From Mysticism to Materialism

This week takes a turn towards the material. The thinkers that make up this week represent various approaches that emphasize the importance of world we live in over commitment to some otherworldly reality.

For thinkers like Feuerbach, the heart of Christianity is not about drawing us towards some higher power beyond our understanding, but rather in helping us understand, and enter more deeply into, what it means to be human. In contrast to the "divine accent" of mysticism, these individuals concentrate on the material world.

In these readings we will learn about the philosophical meaning of the death of God and how various critics of religion have argued that we are entering into a period beyond traditional belief in God.