Ludwig Feuerbach (1804–72) was the fourth of eight children in one of the most distinguished German families of the time. Deeply religious as a youth, he entered Heidelberg in 1823 in order to study Christian theology. But there he came under the influence of a well-known Hegelian theologian. Impressed by the intellectual grandeur of Hegelianism he decided to transfer to Berlin where Hegel taught, although he gave his father the impression that he wanted to study theology with the famous Protestant theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher. Because of financial reasons, he transferred to Erlangen in 1826 where, after completing his dissertation, he was made a Privatdozent. There he lectured on the history of modern philosophy.

In 1830 and against the advice of his father, he published anonymously a book entitled Thoughts on Death and Immortality, which argued that the most authentic religious faith would not contain the traditional Christian beliefs in a personal God and in personal immortality. The text, unfortunately, was accompanied by a series of derogatory epigrams directed against pietism. The book was censored by the authorities and Feuerbach was fired from the university. He married in 1837 but, unable to find academic employment, retired to a remote village near Ansbach where his wife's father owned a porcelain factory. There, in relative isolation except for trips to visit friends, he devoted his life to writing. The youngest of his two daughters died a very painful death aged three and Feuerbach never recovered from what he regarded as the senseless death of this infant.