Preliminary Theses on the Reform of Philosophy

Feuerbach attempts to distance himself from Hegelian philosophy and advocates for a new, sensualistic 'philosophy of the future'. However, he fails to fully develop these principles, although they influenced subsequent philosophers like Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, and others. "Preliminary Theses on the Reform of Philosophy" is a short text published in 1842 that outlines Feuerbach's views on the state of philosophy at the time and proposes a set of principles for its reform. In this work, he argues that philosophy must be grounded in material, empirical reality and human experience, rather than abstract speculation and metaphysical presuppositions. It is largely an attempt at inverting Hegelianism.

Stalin, in his 1906 book "Anarchism or Socialism", discusses Feuerbach: "If the dialectical method originates from Hegel, then the materialist theory is a development of the materialism of Feuerbach. This is well known to anarchists, and they try to use the shortcomings of Hegel and Feuerbach in order to denigrate the dialectical materialism of Marx and Engels. With regard to Hegel and the dialectical method, we have already pointed out that such tricks of the anarchists cannot prove anything other than their own ignorance. The same must be said regarding their attacks on Feuerbach and materialist theory."

Feuerbach was heavily influential on Marx, who modeled his entire religion on Feuerbach's de-mythologization of the Hegelian dialectic. Schopenhauer and Nietzsche both took their satirical criticism about religion from Feuerbach, and every aspect of Marxism can be found here in Marx's favorite Philosopher. Feuerbach is a critical figure in the development of not merely Marxism, but Materialistic Humanism in general. Feuerbach is critical to understanding Marx.