The Nihilistic Egoist: Max Stirner (Modern Revivals in Philosophy) [Hardcover]

This book takes a critical but respectful look at the person and philosophy of Max Stirner.

Paterson, in his introduction, says it was written "on the assumption that the philosophy of Stirner is intrinsically significant, that it has been mistakenly undervalued and neglected, and that it is worthy of serious and continuing consideration in its own terms." Paterson obviously doesn't subscribe to Stirner's philosophy (among other things, he calls it "desolate", and "an estrangement [from everything]"), and although he does an admirable job of trying to be as objective as possible (up until his conclusion, where he lets loose), he often fails in his efforts.

Sprinkled throughout Paterson's book, you get the sense that Paterson is a religious man who is disturbed and offended (and maybe even at times disgusted and horrified) by what he sees implied in Stirner's philosophy--in some places you can almost see him holding his nose as he writes.

The book begins with a biographical sketch of Stirner that is based on John Henry Mackay's work, which until recently was only available in a German language edition. There are hints, though, of Paterson's own bias throughout the text, and this becomes explicit on page 16 when he declares "...Stirner's life must be adjudged a failure." He does, however, later admit that "[j]udgements of failure require the adoption of criteria for success." Stirner would have undoubtedly rejected Paterson's. Mackay, in the introduction to his biography, exposes Paterson's comment for the cheap shot that it is, when he says Stirner's life "could not have been other than it was... [It was] the clear and simple expression of his final doctrine... He was an egoist, who knew that he was one!" (Even Mackay gets it wrong, though. Why must a person's egoism be a prescription for or against any particular kind of life--except maybe against a "pious" one?) It is an interesting exercise to compare and contrast Mackay's biography with Paterson's summary of it.

Chapter 2 is a brief overview of "The Matrix of the Nihilist"--or a sketch of the zeitgeist Stirner found himself in, and how it gave rise to his philosophy.

Chapter 3 is about the maturation and final crystallization of Stirner's thought that enabled him to write his magnum opus--Paterson gives this the melodramatic description, "Descent into the Vacuum."

Chapter 4 is devoted to laying out and summarizing the crux of the argument contained in _Der Enzige_. Actually I think this is an excellent chapter, because it quotes liberally from _Der Einzige_, juxtaposes points that are widely dispersed in the original, and the quotes seem to be Paterson's own translations instead of Byington's.

Chapter 5 discusses Stirner's influence on Marx's philosophy. He contends that Stirner probably had more of an impact than Marx would have openly admitted.

Chapter 6 considers Stirner's influence on the anarchists--in particular the individualist anarchists in the US in the last half of the 19th century.

Chapter 7 explores the contention that Nietzsche was profoundly influenced by Stirner. Paterson is skeptical of this (and I find his argument persuasive), but nonetheless he does an excellent job of comparing and contrasting their ideas, and he is willing to entertain the possibility that Nietzsche had more than a passing familiarity with Stirner.

Next, in Chapter 8, Paterson delves into Stirner's similarities with Existentialism, and philosophers such as Sartre and Heidegger.

Part III of the book is entirely devoted to a critical examination of Stirner's "Nihilistic Egoism", as Paterson calls it. In Chapter 10 Paterson discusses Stirner's "Total Atheism", in chapter 11, his Nihilism, chapter 12, his Egoism.

Chapter 13 is an exploration of Stirner's whole approach, which Paterson characterizes as "Philosophy as Play." I particularly liked this section, since I can't read the original German version and thus almost certainly miss out on much of the nuance that gets lost in translation.

Paterson concludes on a negative note (not so surprisingly, though, since Paterson seems insulted that Stirner doesn't believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny), saying things like _Der Einzige_ "does not offer an abundance of metaphysical insights" and that Stirner's "conceptual resources are limited." Paterson does, however, say that _Der Enzige_ is "profoundly original" and "uniquely disturbing."

Max Stirner (born Johann Caspar Schmidt) was one of the more interesting thinkers in the 19th century. His work never caught on as those of his contemporaries, such as Karl Marx.

This book begins by telling us what is known of Schmidt's life. It also describes the work of his, published under his writing name, Max Stirner. This includes a chapter describing his most important work--The Ego and His Own.

Part II considers Stirner's relationship to other thinkers and schools of thought. These include Marxism, anarchism, existentialism, and Nietzsche. Part III? The chapters are entitled "Total Atheism," "The Nihilist," "The Egoist," and "Philosophy as Play."

The Conclusion gives a sense of the author's perspective (Page 311): "'Der Einzige' [Part of the German title for "The Ego and His Own"] surely remains a profoundly original and disturbing book. After a hundred and twenty years Stirner's voice rings no less urgently, and the grim solution which he describes certainly retains its power to fascinate and to dismay."