Max Stirner and Nihilism

A reassessment of the controversial yet still influential nineteenth-century German philosopher that explores the contentious issue of whether he was as his critics frequently claim a nihilist.<br><br>Max Stirner (1806-1856) is often regarded as an enfant terrible of nineteenth-century German philosophy but he has continued to exert an influence despite his marginalization as a nihilist. This study is the first to tackle head-on the question of whether Stirner can indeed reasonably be described as a nihilist. Although he is not known ever to have used the word nihilism or any of its derivatives he was first accused of being a nihilist immediately after the publication of his magnum opus Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (translated in most English editions as The Ego and His Own) in 1844. Since then the allegation has been repeated by well over a hundred writers and critics with the result that it has become something of a truism. The book aims first to establish a clear understanding of the many meanings of the term nihilism; second to examine the accusations leveled at Stirner in the light of those meanings; and third to assess not only the fairness and accuracy of the imputation of nihilism but also its usefulness in understanding Stirner as a thinker. It thus provides new insights into Stirner's thought challenges the orthodox view of him as a philosophical pariah reassesses his ideas and their place in the history of philosophy and addresses the recurrent issue of his contemporary relevance.