This essay is a response to Professor Alexander W. Craig’s “Christianity and Egoism.”  Craig’s essay makes the argument that egoism and Christianity are compatible: He examines some seemingly anti-egoistic messages from the Gospels, contrasts them with the context of divine love as a profoundly egoistic belief, and finally argues that these views taken within the…

There is an expression in Afrikaans, om die dam onder die eend uit te ruk. Translated literally, it means “to pluck the pond out from under the duck,” to take a thing so far that it begins to miss its own point. The expression springs to mind because an obsession with groups of people literally…

“Children do not constitute anyone’s property: they are neither the property of the parents nor even the society. They belong only to their own future freedom.” -Bakunin As part of the recent wave of legislation targeting LGBTQIA people, especially trans minors, Florida passed a law advertised by its proponents as protection for parental rights, HB…

Some Opening Thoughts First, I want to express my constant admiration for how comprehensible yet deeply frustrating I find Jason Lee Byas’ approach to anarchism (something I extend to the Center’s resident radical liberals and adherents to Aristotelianism more generally, more words on that to come). To mirror his repeated praise of the “amoralist’s challenge,”…

How can the anarchist’s commitment to the wellbeing of all be reconciled with the egoist’s commitment to the wellbeing of oneself? I suggest reconciliation comes not from politics, nor from religion, nor from markets. The anarchist and the egoist find reconciliation in Love. Love is a big term. It is no wonder the ancient Greeks…

Whenever a public figure is accused of sexual assault or alleges that another public figure has sexually assaulted them, websites and forums and everything else under the sun will inevitably be flooded by some derivation of: “I thought people were innocent until proven guilty in this country!” Leaving aside the long and sordid history of…

[Hear an in-depth discussion on this article and its topics in this episode of The Enragés] Preface  This article was originally composed as a series of posts on Facebook; I prefaced my series with the warning: “I have no use for being in anyone’s fan club, whether the U.S. libertarian/classical liberal communities, the Democratic Party,…

On the Non-Triviality of Going from Individual to Collective Rationality It’s been a mainstay of the radical left for a long time to blame the lack of radical activity by whatever particular collective subject they believe to have potential on some sort of capitalist subterfuge. The various arguments for what exactly happened range considerably, but…

I began writing this on Ash Wednesday. On this day, many Christians fast, eating only one meal, and begin a Lenten discipline, abstention from something enjoyed. Over time, various Christian traditions have recommended different Lenten practices, but all who observe Lent do so by giving something up until the Friday before Easter. Can a religion…

[Hear an in-depth discussion on this article and its topics in this episode of The Enragés] A recent legislative attempt at Medicare and Healthcare expansion has fallen to the monopolistic death-grip of corporate lobbyists. What does the history of radical alternatives to healthcare have to teach us? Before looking at examples of solutions, it is…

I’ve been called upon to give a transhumanist perspective on egoism. I think that this is a pretty simple critique so I’m going to largely spend this piece talking about why egoists should take it seriously. If you’re already convinced of the importance of thinking rigorously, please just skip my self-indulgent rant and go to…

“Man is the last evil spirit or spook, the most deceptive or most intimate, the craftiest liar with honest mien, the father of lies.” – Max Stirner, 1844 (2017: 129) Beyond Egocentrism When the heliocentric model of the universe was proposed in the 16th century, it was an enormous scandal. The pope eventually condemned Galileo…

Jason Lee Byas has already articulated what I think is an interesting (and effective) challenge to Max Stirner’s critique of morality, as well as come to a conclusion that I very much endorse: namely, that self-interest and caring for the well-being of others need not be separate concerns. In my view, the most important contribution…

I have a saying that goes something like: ‘I don’t trust anybody who thinks taxation is theft but profit isn’t.’ The former is a common sentiment among libertarians left and right, who argue, like Michael Huemer, that “[w]hen the government ‘taxes’ citizens, what this means is that the government demands money from each citizen, under…

For eight years, Russian state propaganda was always saying that Ukraine and its citizens were our enemies. By implying that all Ukrainians are neo-Nazis and pigs, common people of both countries got divided by the elites. I have some friends from Ukraine, mostly we share the same anti-fascist, anti-capitalist, and anti-racist views. And why the…

Critical Comment on Social Credit I studied your article in “New Democracy” carefully and liked some things you said in it. Some things annoyed me tho. You speak of certain demands on the government. This surprises me. In my estimation, no one who understands liberty demands from government. For example, suppose we demand justice from…

[Hear an in-depth discussion on this article and its topics in this episode of The Enragés] Emma Goldman is someone who is frequently associated with anarchism as a historical phenomenon. Her mix of anti-state activism, radical support for feminism and free love movements in the early 20th century, and her radiant life of praxis for…

Liberty and the State The anarchistic solution of the money problem is so simple as to cause amazement. It is to permit anyone and everyone to go into the banking system. Why not? No one objects to anyone going into the hat business or building business or any other non-invasive enterprise. Naturally those who furnish…

Insurrection or Revolution? The ethical politics of Stirner’s egoism At a time when the grand narrative of Revolution that we inherited from modernity and the rationalist discourses of the Enlightenment has all but broken down, what alternatives are there for conceptualising radical transformation? Despite the lack of an organised revolutionary class or movement, the left…

I wanted to thank Cory Massimino for inviting me to submit a few thoughts on the topic of this important C4SS MES exploring the interrelationships between anarchism and egoism. Given the broad areas highlighted for conversation, I’d like to focus briefly on these two topics: What does egoism have to say about intersectional approaches in…