On Luther and the Reformation

Introduction to a critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of right

Marx

“Luther, without question, overcame servitude through devotion, but only by substituting servitude through conviction. He shattered the faith in authority by restoring the authority of faith. He transformed the priests into laymen by turning laymen into priests. He liberated man from external religiosity by making religiosity the inner most essence of man. He liberated the body from its chains because he fettered the heart with chains.”

“A theory is only realised in a people so far as it fulfils the needs of the people”

Germans are without history. Philosophy compensates for lack of a past. Overcoming this past overcomes philosophy and the political practical problem of the German state requires going beyond philosophy. Marx expressed a need a class with radical chains whose general interest is universal.

"Philosophy can only be realised by the abolition of the proletariat, and the proletariat can only be abolished by the realisation of philosophy."