Max Stirner's Dialectical Egoism A New Interpretation

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An edition of Max Stirner's Dialectical Egoism A New Interpretation

Max Stirner's Dialectical Egoism A New Interpretation

by John F. Welsh

on October 3rd, 2025 | History

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Max Stirner offers a relentless critique of every authority—state, church, society, even moral absolutes—demanding that you own your life and refuse all spooks (abstract ideals) that claim mastery over you reader

Core Reasons to Dive In
Radical Autonomy Stirner shows how accepted “truths” (God, State, Humanity) function as spooks—ghostly authorities that subjugate you. He urges you to recognize and cast them off, seizing your own desires and projects as the only genuine ground for action.

Foundational for Modern Thought His fierce egoism prefigures existentialism and postmodernism by dismantling universal foundations and placing the unique individual at the center of philosophical inquiry.

Blueprint for Voluntary Association Instead of hierarchical institutions, Stirner proposes the “union of egoists”—temporary, self-interested partnerships that dissolve once shared aims are met. This model resonates with today’s collaborative networks and decentralized movements.

Historical Impact Though derided by Marx as “Saint Max,” Stirner influenced anarchists, nihilists, Nietzsche, and post-structuralists. His ideas ripple through debates on identity, power, and subjectivity in contemporary critical theory

Publish Date

1910

Publisher

Unknown

Language

English

PPI

300

Previews available in: English

Subjects: Start with The Unique and Its Property (Der Einzige und sein Eigentum) Read a modern translation with commentary (e.g., David Leopold’s or Steven T. Byington’s) Pair it with secondary studies: James Hanley, Max Stirner’s Egoism Saul Newman, From Bakunin to Lacan (on Stirner’s post-structural legacy)

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