Der Einzige und sein Eigentum

work by Stirner

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June 17, 2026

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Max Stirner's influential work, Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (1845), translated as The Ego and His Own, is a cornerstone of anarchist philosophy and is sometimes seen as a precursor to existentialism. Stirner argued that social constructs like the state, society, and humanity are mere abstractions, lacking independent reality. He championed the concept of the finite, empirical ego as the driving force behind all human actions. Stirner believed that all individuals possess the capacity for self-awareness, enabling them to become "egoists" or true individuals.1

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Hegelianism
Sociopolitical radicalism
…first trend was Stirner’s book Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (1845; “The Individual and His Property”), in which the fundamental thesis of individualistic anarchism can be discerned. The unique entity, in Stirner’s view, is the individual, who must rebel against the attempt made by every authority and social organization to…
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…first trend was Stirner’s book Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (1845; “The Individual and His Property”), in which the fundamental thesis of individualistic anarchism can be discerned. The unique entity, in Stirner’s view, is the individual, who must rebel against the attempt made by every authority and social organization to…
Read More