#1309 Espen Hammer: Death of God: Secularization as a Philosophical Challenge from Kant to Nietzsche
RECORDED ON APRIL 3rd 2026.
Dr. Espen Hammer is Professor of Philosophy at Temple University. His main interests are in Kant and German Idealism, social and political philosophy, modern European philosophy, phenomenology, Critical Theory, and aesthetics. He is the author of After the Death of God: Secularization as a Philosophical Challenge from Kant to Nietzsche.
In this episode, we focus on After the Death of God. We first define secularization, and discuss the secularization thesis. We talk about critiques of religion. We discuss whether secularism has theological origins. We talk about the role(s) of religion, and whether it is on the decline. We discuss whether the conflict between religion and secularism is inevitable. We then go through the work of philosophers like Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche, and how they approached religion. Finally, we talk about how philosophers have approached religion since Nietzsche, and we discuss whether religion has become more progressive over time.
Time Links:
Intro
Secularization, and the secularization thesis
Critiques of religion
Does secularism have theological origins?
The role(s) of religion
Is religion on the decline?
Is the conflict between religion and secularism inevitable?
Kant
Hegel
Feuerbach and Marx
Nietzsche
Has religion become more progressive over time?
Follow Dr. Hammer’s work!
Follow Dr. Hammer’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/2u7m6666
PhilPeople profile: https://tinyurl.com/3xsdxw37
After the Death of God: https://tinyurl.com/5676n7j7