About the author

Max Stirner, Forefather of Individualist Anarchism

Born Johann Kaspar Schmidt on 25 October 1806 in Bayreuth, Germany, Max Stirner renamed himself after his high school nickname based on his high forehead (Stirn in German). Stirner was a philosopher who is often seen as one of the forerunners of nihilism, existentialism, postmodernism, and anarchism, especially of individualist anarchism. His main work The Ego and Its Own, also known as The Unique And Its Property, was first published in 1845 in Leipzig, and has since appeared in numerous editions and translations.

Stirner's philosophical ideas were a significant influence on Marx and Nietzsche, among others. He proposed that most commonly accepted social institutions—including the notion of State, property as a right, natural rights in general, and the very notion of society—were mere illusions or ghosts in the mind, saying of society that the individuals are its reality. His thoughts drastically contributed to the anarchist movement, with him being viewed as a central figure in its development. Stirner died on 26 June 1856 in Berlin.

Date of Birth: 25 October 1806

Date of Death: 26 June 1856

Country of Birth: Germany

Political Ideas: Egoism, Individual Anarchism

Quotes Available: 42