The Ego and Its Own

First published in 1844 (originally Der Einzige und sein Eigentum), Max Stirner's The Ego and Its Own is one of the most provocative works of modern philosophy-a relentless critique of every "higher cause" that claims authority over the individual.

With sharp wit and uncompromising logic, Stirner attacks what he calls fixed ideas-moral duties, religious commandments, political ideologies, even abstract "Humanity"-arguing that they become spooks that rule us from inside. In their place, he proposes ownness: a radically personal standpoint in which the self is not a means to an ideal, but the starting point of all value and action.

Influential (and infamous) across radical politics and philosophy, this is a foundational text for readers interested in individualism, political philosophy, anarchist thought, and critiques of ideology-a book that still feels like a direct challenge to the way modern life demands our loyalty.