[D66] [JD: 21] Hägglund essay

[R.O.]

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/marx-hegel-and-the-critique-of-religion-a-response/



ESSAYS
Marx, Hegel, and the Critique of Religion: A Response

March 15, 2021

THIS ESSAY DEVELOPS further the immanent critique of religion that I 
pursue in my book This Life. Following Marx, I argue that social freedom 
is our highest good and that religious projections of a being beyond our 
mortal existence would wither away under emancipated conditions. Showing 
why Marx is right, however, requires an argument that he himself does 
not provide. In response to the reception of This Life, I elaborate how 
my argument provides the ground for both Marx’s emancipatory critique of 
religious faith and Hegel’s secular notion of the divine.


Martin Hägglund is professor of Comparative Literature and Humanities at 
Yale University. He is the author of four books and his work has been 
translated into a dozen languages. His most recent book, This Life 
(2019), won the René Wellek Prize and is the subject of a special issue 
of The Philosopher. He tweets @martinhaegglund.