Max Stirner's Dialectical Egoism: A New Interpretation - Softcover

F. Welsh, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0739141562 ISBN 13: 9780739141564

Publisher: Lexington Books, 2010

Synopsis

This book interprets Max Stirner's The Ego and Its Own as a critique of modernity and traces the basic elements of his dialectical egoism through the writings of Benjamin Tucker, James L. Walker, and Dora Marsden. Stirner's concept of 'ownness' is the basis of his critique of the dispossession and homogenization of individuals in modernity and is an important contribution to the research literature on libertarianism, dialectics, and post-modernism.

About this title

Review:

A book of this kind has been long awaited. It is the first modern book-length sympathetic, yet balanced and scholarly, exposition of Max Stirner's thought and, in my opinion, the best book on Max Stirner on the market. John Welsh's Max Stirner's Dialectic Egoism contains new and useful arguments based on sound scholarship. Welsh shows a good grasp of what Stirner means and what he doesn't, and of the different interpretations of him up until the present. The text includes different interpretations and understandings of Stirner, an exegesis of Stirner's major work, The Ego and Its Own, insights of leading historians of philosophy, and a comparison of Stirner and his disciples. Overall, well researched and very informative!--Svein Olav Nyberg, Agder University College

John F. Welsh provides us with a superb distillation of the thought of Max Stirner and the dialectical-egoist paradigm he developed. Through this brilliant study, Welsh demonstrates the power and breadth of dialectics as a radical mode of analysis and social transformation.--Chris Matthew Sciabarra, New York University

Welsh is clearly aware of these central aspects of Stirner's project....He has...offered a very useful tool for anarchists, egoists and Stirner scholars, a tool that is well worth using. And it is not difficult to use. The language is fairly simple and straightforward. The content is well organized. I recommend the book for anyone interested in exploring what Stirner has to offer us in our confrontations with the ruling institutions.--Modern Slavery

Any reader of this journal, and anyone who has ever tried to grapple with Stirner, will enjoy and benefit from this book. Scholars and students seeking a clear, honest, up-to-date introduction to Stirner need look no further. Individual-minded individuals outside the academy will also find this book of use.--I-Studies

About the Author:

John F. Welsh was a professor at the University of Louisville and is currently working as an independent scholar.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0739141562
• ISBN 13: 9780739141564
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304