Author Archive

Max Stirner

Max Stirner (1806–1856) was a German philosopher and a key precursor to existentialism, anarchism, and postmodern individualism. His masterwork, The Ego and Its Own (1844), systematically critiques all external authorities—including religion, morality, the state, and ideology—by advocating for the “unique individual” ( der Einzige ) who owns their own power and recognizes no obligation beyond self-will. A sharp critic of both Ludwig Feuerbach and Karl Marx, Stirner’s radical solipsism profoundly influenced later thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and the Situationist International.

9 summaries in the archive

19th Century History of the Reaction (Geschichte der Reaktion) – Max Stirner Max Stirner

Geschichte der Reaktion is a two-volume compilation published in 1852 in Berlin under the name of Max Stirner.

5 min read

19th Century Counterword (Gegenwort) – Max Stirner Max Stirner

Stirner defends his original work against Feuerbach and Szeliga, insisting that their moral critiques rely on the very…

5 sec read

19th Century On School Laws (Über Schulgesetze) – Max Stirner Max Stirner

"On School Laws" is a short early prose work by Max Stirner, concerned with rules, discipline, and law…

5 min read

Anarchism Personalist Approach To Education – Max Stirner Max Stirner

Stirner's educational text belongs to the Vormärz period, when Hegel's legacy was being contested and radicalized.

5 min read

19th Century Criticism To Myself – Max Stirner Max Stirner

Stirner presents a self-directed critique as an act of personal reckoning, declaring he will examine his own thoughts…

5 sec read

19th Century Art and Religion – Max Stirner Max Stirner

"Art and Religion" is a short essay by Max Stirner, the pen name of Johann Kaspar Schmidt, a…

4 min read

19th Century Stirner’s Critics (Recensenten Stirners) – Max Stirner Max Stirner

Stirner's Critics presents English translations of Max Stirner's published responses to those who attacked his masterwork, The Unique…

49 min read

19th Century The False Principle of Our Education (Das unwahre Prinzip unserer Erziehung, oder) – Max Stirner Max Stirner

The essay is a polemical intervention into a heated educational controversy of its day, but it reaches far…

24 min read

19th Century The Ego and His Own (Der Einzige und sein Eigentum) – Max Stirner Max Stirner

The book appeared in 1844 (with the title page often dated 1845) and is Stirner's principal work.

10 min read