Friedrich Feuerbach was born on 29 September 1806 in
Munich. He was the youngest son of the distinguished jurist
Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach (1775–1833) and uncle of painter
Anselm Feuerbach (1829–1880). His older brothers were all distinguished scholars. In 1826, he began his studies at the university of Erlangen. At first he studied theology, then history, and finally philology and philosophy, specializing in Sanskrit literature. His supervisor was
Friedrich Rückert. At Erlangen, he was a member of a
liberal nationalist student fraternity. In 1831, shortly after graduating, he went to Paris to work with the noted philologists and linguists
Chézy, Bournouf and Remusat. France had recently experienced the
July Revolution, and Friedrich met with some of the French
utopian socialists of the time (e.g.,
Pierre Leroux). He also seems to have travelled to Switzerland, where he met the radical followers of
Wilhelm Weitling; some of them subsequently studied his writings on religion. There is no evidence, however, that Friedrich Feuerbach himself ever participated in any revolutionary association (nor would this have been in character with his diffident nature). On his return to Germany, Feuerbach did not seek a profession but instead took rented rooms in
Nuremberg and lived on a small state pension. He lived that way for most of his life. Friedrich Feuerbach published several translations from Sanskrit, Spanish, Italian and French. In the 1830s, he was associated with the
Young German movement in literature; in the early 1840s, he contributed to a number of
Young Hegelian magazines. Freuerbach is described as extremely shy and withdrawn. His brother Ludwig described him as utterly undemanding. The suicide attempt of his older brother
Karl, the mathematician, who had been arrested for belonging to a liberal student fraternity in 1824, greatly affected Friedrich. He was with Karl during his battle with mental illness and when he died prematurely in 1834. The physician Dr. Theodor Spoerri, a family friend, thought he suffered from "heaviness of the blood" (depression). He also thought that the "genius" of the talented Feuerbach family was most concentrated in Friedrich, the least-known brother. The philosopher
Georg Friedrich Daumer was one of his few occasional visitors. The
liberal theologian Johann Heinrich Wichern also acknowledged his influence. Feuerbach was a qualified
Orientalist with several publications. However, under the influence of his brother
Ludwig, he turned to philosophy. He expounded a
critique of religion that was heavily indebted to his brother's. He professed "to preach what he taught." Friedrich often actively assisted Ludwig in editing his manuscripts. In spite of his atheism, Friedrich seems to have sympathized with a local liberal Protestant 'free faith' group. He died in Nuremberg on 24 January 1880. ==Views==