Limit and Human Nature in the Early Feuerbach

This article examines the interplay between limit, thought, and human nature in Ludwig Feuerbach’s early philosophy, with particular attention to his dissertation De ratione una, universali, infinita (1828) and Thoughts on Death and Immortality (1830). It argues that Feuerbach presents reason as an infinite power that transcends the limits of sensibility and individuality. By framing reason as a universal substance and the foundation of human essence, Feuerbach highlights a fundamental tension between universality and individuality – one defined by a profound asymmetry. He challenges dominant theological notions of immortality, proposing instead that death – understood as a real limit – is the very condition for grasping infinity within life itself. Ultimately, Feuerbach envisions history as the ongoing process of life’s self-realization, independent of any external metaphysical assumptions.