'The Ego and its Own'

Paper Summary:

To fully comprehend the message of Max Stirner's philosophical classic, 'The Ego and its Own', the writer suggests that a reader must release him or herself from the negative associations of the word egotist. In fact, the author would argue that the reason the words ego and egotism have such negative assumptions in modern culture is the resulting influence of false ideologies, such as the Christian religion, totalitarian politics, and the conventional morality of the mob. The writer discusses that if a society, as envisioned by Stirner, was created where everyone refused to fight and die for others, or to believe in any creed other than their will of the moment, it might be possible that there would be less formalized conflict and greater creativity. The writer concludes that Stirner is sketchy as to how such a utopia can be envisioned, although his arguments against the dangers of idealizing dying or even living for a case remain timely.

From the Paper:

"As soon as a person subscribes to the idea that to sacrifice him or herself in the name of something higher than him or herself is good, this is when danger occurs, to both the self and to society. To use an example from contemporary society, one might argue that this is how soldiers defend their choice to go off to war to commit murders (they serve the state), or how persons willingly commit suicide for religion in the name of God. From his own historical vantage point, Stirner reminds the reader that Robespierre, the architect of the Revolutionary Terror in France, was an idealistic man in the sense that Robespierre put ideology before himself and his own life, and thus defended the sacrifice of the lives and self-interest of other citizens until the human element became subservient to the incorporeal ideal of freedom."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Stirner, Max. The Ego and Its Own. 1907. [3 Mar 2006] E-text <http://flag.blackened.net/daver/anarchism/stirner/theego0.html>

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