In a fb discussion the subject of the revolutionary philosopher Max Stirner came up....I think Stirner is much neglected. He was a Young Hegelian, part of the circle to which the young Engels and Marx also belonged (although he only seems to have known Engels personally) The single book on which his reputation rests; first translated as The Ego and His Own is a thorough-going attack on idealism and idealist based morality. Most of his commentators, at least outside the Anarchist movement seem to think he advocated general social predation (which as Stirner himself commented, only showed their own fear of humanity). In fact Stirner argued in effect a communist society was the natural result of his philosophy being accepted, The following is a typical passage on social organization...... Finally, as regards competition once more, it has a continued existence by this very means, that all do not attend to their affair and come to an understanding with each other about it. Bread e.g. is a need of all the inhabitants of a city; therefore they might easily agree on setting up a public bakery. Instead of this, they leave the furnishing of the needful to the competing bakers. Just so meat to the butchers, wine to wine-dealers, etc. Abolishing competition is not equivalent to favoring the guild. The difference is this: In the guild baking, etc., is the affair of the guild-brothers; in competition, the affair of chance competitors; in the union, of those who require baked goods, and therefore my affair, yours, the affair of neither the guildic nor the concessionary baker, but the affair of the united. If I do not trouble myself about my affair, I must be content with what it pleases others to vouchsafe me. To have bread is my affair, my wish and desire, and yet people leave that to the bakers and hope at most to obtain through their wrangling, their getting ahead of each other, their rivalry —in short, their competition — an advantage which one could not count on in the case of the guild-brothers who were lodged entirely and alone in the proprietorship of the baking franchise. — What every one requires, every one should also take a hand in procuring and producing; it is his affair, his property, not the property of the guildic or concessionary master. Finally, as regards competition once more, it has a continued existence by this very means, that all do not attend to their affair and come to an understanding with each other about it. Bread e.g. is a need of all the inhabitants of a city; therefore they might easily agree on setting up a public bakery. Instead of this, they leave the furnishing of the needful to the competing bakers. Just so meat to the butchers, wine to wine-dealers, etc. theanarchistlibrary.org/library/max-stirner-the-ego-and-his-own
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 02:05:56 +0000
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