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…

Jason Lee Byas Artículo original: The Authority of Yourself, publicado el 18 de febrero de 2022. Traducción española de Camila Figueroa. Este ensayo es parte de un Simposio de Intercambio Mutuo del C4SS sobre Anarquismo y Egoísmo. Lo que he dicho hasta ahora presenta un dilema sobre cómo los anarquistas deben abordar la moralidad. Si…

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…

Jason Lee Byas. Artículo original publicado el 17 de febrero de 2022 con título Anarchy is Moral Order. Traducido al español por Camila Figueroa. Este ensayo es parte de un Simposio de Intercambio Mutuo del C4SS sobre Anarquismo y Egoísmo La anarquía es el orden moral Como argumenté en mi post anterior, cualquiera que se…

[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…

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…

What I’ve said so far presents a dilemma for how anarchists should approach morality. If my first post is correct, we can’t ignore Stirner’s challenge. A morality that refuses to answer the amoralist requires systemic self-sacrifice with nothing in exchange. Such moral cannibalism would differ from other forms of domination only in its pervasiveness. Yet…

Anarchy Is Moral Order As I argued in my previous post, anyone who cares about morality needs a good answer to the amoralist challenge posed by someone like Stirner. As I also said there, this is especially true for those moralists who are also anarchists, since a morality without such an answer begins to look…

As Stirner means the term, I am not an egoist. I see morality as crucial, both to anarchism and to life in general. However, I think Stirnerite, amoralist egoism gets something very right about morality that most people get very wrong. In the next couple of posts, I’ll be saying more about why I reject…

The prefix “eco-“, as in ecology and economy, is rooted in the ancient Greek “οἶκος”, translated as “house,” “home,” “shelter,” or “habitation.” Our home, (the home that we all currently share in common: our planet and its biosphere), is the focus of this essay — even as the title is an irreverent and playful response…

[Hear an in-depth discussion on this article and its topics in this episode of The Enragés] The philosophy of Max Stirner (1806-1856 C.E.), or Egoism as it is sometimes crudely called, essentially addresses the relationship between the individual and alienation; to use Stirner’s language, the alienation between the individual and their property. Property can be…

Anarchism and egoism have long shared a tension that follows all anarchist groups: how do we organize in a way that respects individual autonomy while providing the benefits of collective organization? The work of organizing is often the constant answering of this question: how much does this organization benefit me, and why should I provide…

The work of Max Stirner is a contentious topic among anarchists, with numerous interpretations of his work, ranging from descriptive, presenting a certain framework of thought, to prescriptive, advocating for anti-authoritarianism, and expressing a commitment to “individualism.” It is my position that egoism is primarily descriptive in nature. The key distinctions Stirner makes, those between…

  “My affair is neither the divine nor the human; it is not the good, the true, the just, the free, etc., but only my own, and it is not general, but is unique, as I am unique. For me, there is nothing greater than me!” – Max Stirner The worst thing I could do…

This year, C4SS Fellow Cory Massimino joins Alex McHugh as a host for Mutual Exchange Radio. For this first episode of the season, we sat down together to talk about intellectual influences, the upcoming podcast season, and C4SS’s forthcoming Mutual Exchange Symposium on Egoism and Anarchism. See the Mutual Exchange Symposium here starting Tuesday, Feb….

C4SS Mutual Exchange Symposium: Anarchism and Egoism: The Only Authority Is Yourself Many consider anarchism and egoism polar opposites. Anarchism opposes all forms of domination, from statism to capitalism to patriarchy, because it is about dignity and autonomy for everyone. Egoism, from the French égoïsme meaning “to think of oneself,” is about the affirmation and…

Excerpts From a Letter to a Friend Apropos your series of articles on Human Rights: There was a University of Chicago “professor” who wrote a book entitled Might is Right, under the pseudonym of “Ragnar Redbeard.” In it he maintained that life is essentially a battle in which “to the victor belonged the spoils,” and…