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Tariq Fadel's Reviews > The Ego and Its Own
The Ego and Its Own
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by
"Ich hab' Mein' Sach' auf Nichts gestellt"
This philosophical masterpiece is as radical as it is well written. The author went through the trouble of laying out logical arguments that are very compelling. Stirner's sharp critique of communism forced Marx to reply with a lengthy and equally sharp critique in his book "The german ideology". But what exactly is it that Stirner is arguing for? Egoism.
"What is not supposed to be my concern [Sache] ! First and foremost, the good cause [Sache], then God’s cause, the cause of mankind, of truth, of freedom, of humanity, of justice; further, the cause of my people, my prince, my fatherland; finally, even the cause of Mind, and a thousand other causes. Only my cause is never to be my concern. “Shame on the egoist who thinks only of himself!”
Let us look and see, then, how they manage their concerns – they for whose cause we are to labour, devote ourselves, and grow enthusiastic. "
The book starts with this striking claim, then Stirner proceeds to ruthlessly dissect all the altruistic claims to reveal them as egoistic in disguise. There is no such thing as an altruistic act, for if you give money to charity you are in fact doing it to please your own imaginary ghost of morality. To steal money on the other hand is more honorable and noble for you're not pretending to be an altruist.
Stirner as Nietzsche's true teacher. For while it is known that Nietzsche was influenced by Schopenhauer and his notion of "The world as will" it is in fact Stirner who had the biggest influence on him. There is hardly any idea which Nietzsche didn't take from Stirner: The death of god, the distinction between slaves and masters, the disdain for the notion of truth and setting power as central scheme of things "Right is might". Yet Nietzsche never even mentioned Stirner in an obvious case of plagiarism. I believe this is the biggest evidence that he did learn from him, for such things as copyrights and personal property were denounced by Stirner, Nietzsche therefor paid homage to him by not mentioning him. Yet it was Stirner who philosophized better, probably because he wrote with clarity and relative sanity. I say relative because of how this book ends:
"They say of God, “Names name thee not.” That holds good of me: no concept expresses me,
nothing that is designated as my essence exhausts me; they are only names. Likewise they say
of God that he is perfect and has no calling to strive after perfection. That too holds good of me
alone."-The ego and its own
This philosophical masterpiece is as radical as it is well written. The author went through the trouble of laying out logical arguments that are very compelling. Stirner's sharp critique of communism forced Marx to reply with a lengthy and equally sharp critique in his book "The german ideology". But what exactly is it that Stirner is arguing for? Egoism.
"What is not supposed to be my concern [Sache] ! First and foremost, the good cause [Sache], then God’s cause, the cause of mankind, of truth, of freedom, of humanity, of justice; further, the cause of my people, my prince, my fatherland; finally, even the cause of Mind, and a thousand other causes. Only my cause is never to be my concern. “Shame on the egoist who thinks only of himself!”
Let us look and see, then, how they manage their concerns – they for whose cause we are to labour, devote ourselves, and grow enthusiastic. "
The book starts with this striking claim, then Stirner proceeds to ruthlessly dissect all the altruistic claims to reveal them as egoistic in disguise. There is no such thing as an altruistic act, for if you give money to charity you are in fact doing it to please your own imaginary ghost of morality. To steal money on the other hand is more honorable and noble for you're not pretending to be an altruist.
Stirner as Nietzsche's true teacher. For while it is known that Nietzsche was influenced by Schopenhauer and his notion of "The world as will" it is in fact Stirner who had the biggest influence on him. There is hardly any idea which Nietzsche didn't take from Stirner: The death of god, the distinction between slaves and masters, the disdain for the notion of truth and setting power as central scheme of things "Right is might". Yet Nietzsche never even mentioned Stirner in an obvious case of plagiarism. I believe this is the biggest evidence that he did learn from him, for such things as copyrights and personal property were denounced by Stirner, Nietzsche therefor paid homage to him by not mentioning him. Yet it was Stirner who philosophized better, probably because he wrote with clarity and relative sanity. I say relative because of how this book ends:
"They say of God, “Names name thee not.” That holds good of me: no concept expresses me,
nothing that is designated as my essence exhausts me; they are only names. Likewise they say
of God that he is perfect and has no calling to strive after perfection. That too holds good of me
alone."-The ego and its own
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Quotes Tariq Liked
“Liberate yourself as far as you can, and you have done your part; for it is not given to every one to break through all limits,or,more expressively, not to every one is that a limit which is a limit for the rest. Consequently,do not tire yourself with toiling at the limits of others...He who overturns one of his limits may have shown others the way and the means; the overturning of their limits remains their affair.”
― The Ego and Its Own
― The Ego and Its Own
“Where the world comes in my way—and it comes in my way everywhere—I consume it to quiet the hunger of my egoism. For me you are nothing but—my food, even as I too am fed upon and turned to use by you. We have only one relation to each other, that of usableness, of utility, of use. We owe each other nothing, for what I seem to owe you I owe at most to myself. If I show you a cheery air in order to cheer you likewise, then your cheeriness is of consequence to me, and my air serves my wish; to a thousand others, whom I do not aim to cheer, I do not show it.”
― The Ego and Its Own
― The Ego and Its Own
Reading Progress
November 18, 2019
–
Started Reading
November 18, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
November 18, 2019
– Shelved
November 19, 2019
–
14.81%
"Is not all the stupid chatter of (e.g.) most of our newspapers the babble of fools who suffer from the fixed idea of morality, legality, Christianity, etc., and only seem to go about free because the madhouse in which they walk takes in so broad a space? Touch the fixed idea of such a fool, and you will at once have to guard your back against the lunatic’s stealthy malice."
page
64
November 20, 2019
–
18.98%
"The history of the world, whose shaping properly belongs altogether to the Caucasian race, seems till now to have run through two Caucasian ages, in the first of which we had to work out and work off our innate negroidity; this was followed in the second by Mongoloidity (Chineseness), which must likewise be terribly made an end of."
page
82
November 23, 2019
–
27.78%
"Hence it was that the Lutheran Hegel (he declares himself such in some passage or other: he “wants to remain a Lutheran”) was completely successful in carrying the idea through everything. In everything there is reason, i.e. holy spirit, or “the real is rational.” For the real is in fact everything; as in each thing, e.g., each lie, the truth can be detected: there is no absolute lie, no absolute evil, etc."
page
120
November 24, 2019
–
32.41%
"Marx is that you?
The laborers have the most enormous power in their hands, and, if they once became thoroughly conscious of it and used it, nothing would withstand them; they would only have to stop labor, regard the product of labor as theirs, and enjoy it. This is the sense of the labor disturbances
which show themselves here and there."
page
140
The laborers have the most enormous power in their hands, and, if they once became thoroughly conscious of it and used it, nothing would withstand them; they would only have to stop labor, regard the product of labor as theirs, and enjoy it. This is the sense of the labor disturbances
which show themselves here and there."
December 1, 2019
–
46.3%
"Never yet has a religion been able to dispense with “promises,”
whether they referred us to the other world or to this (“long life,” etc.); for man is mercenary and does nothing “gratis.” But how about that “doing the good for the good’s sake” without prospect of reward? As if here too the pay was not contained in the satisfaction that it is to afford. Even
religion, therefore, is founded on our egoism"
page
200
whether they referred us to the other world or to this (“long life,” etc.); for man is mercenary and does nothing “gratis.” But how about that “doing the good for the good’s sake” without prospect of reward? As if here too the pay was not contained in the satisfaction that it is to afford. Even
religion, therefore, is founded on our egoism"
December 2, 2019
–
51.85%
"Therefore we two, the State and I, are enemies. I, the egoist, have not at heart the welfare of this “human society,” I sacrifice nothing to it, I only utilize it; but to be able to utilize it completely I transform it rather into my property and my creature; i. e., I annihilate it, and form in its place
the Union of Egoists."
page
224
the Union of Egoists."
December 3, 2019
–
57.87%
"Is not “right” a religious concept, i.e. something sacred? Why, “equality of rights”, as the Revolution propounded it, is only another name for “Christian equality,” the “equality of the brethren,” “of God’s children,”
“of Christians”; in short, fraternité."
page
250
“of Christians”; in short, fraternité."
December 7, 2019
–
66.2%
"A people cannot be free otherwise than at the individual’s expense; for it is not the individual that is the main point in this liberty, but the people. The freer the people, the more bound the individual; the Athenian people, precisely at its freest time, created ostracism, banished the
atheists, poisoned the most honest thinker."
page
286
atheists, poisoned the most honest thinker."
December 14, 2019
–
88.43%
"One can do nothing that one does not, as one does nothing that one cannot."
page
382
December 17, 2019
–
Finished Reading
