Enemies of Society: An Anthology of Individualist & Egoist Thought

This book tells the story of the most neglected tendency in anarchist thought; egoism. The story of anarchism is usually told as a story of great bearded men who had beautiful ideas and a series of beautiful failures, culminating in the most beautiful failure of them all in the Spanish Civil War. A noble history of failed ideas and practice. Egoism, and individualist anarchism, suffers a different kind of fate. It is not a great history and glorious failure but an obscure series of stories of winning. Victory defined by the only terms that matter, those who lived life to their fullest and whose struggle against the existing order defined them. This struggle was not one of abstractions, of Big Ideas, but of people attempting to claim an authentic stake in their own life. Inspired by the writings of Stirner's "The Ego and His Own" the assertion these people make it not of the composition of a better world (for everyone) but of how the machinations of society, especially one of abstractions and Big Ideas, have shaped the individual members of that society. How everything that we know and believe has been shaped by structure and intent into a conformed, denatured shadow of what we could be. Individualists anarchists have always argued that anarchism should not be a version of heaven on earth but a "plurality of possibilities". This has relegated their activity to the actions that people make in their lives rather than participating in political bodies and formations that shape, and participate in, society. Egoists have gone to war with this world, robbed banks, practiced free love, and won everything except those things worth nothing: history, politics, & acceptance by society. People like you have been denounced as "enemies of society". No doubt you would indignantly deny being such and claim that you are trying to save society from the vampire of the State. You delude yourselves. Insofar as "society" means an organized collectivity having one basic norm of behavior that must be accepted by all (and that includes your libertarian communist utopia) and insofar as the norm is a product of the average, the crowd, the mediocre, then anarchists are always enemies of society. There is no reason to suppose that the interests of the free individual and the interests of the social machine will ever harmonize, nor is it desirable that they should. Permanent conflict between the two is the only perspective that makes any sense to me. But I expect that you will not see this, that you will continue to hope that if you repeat "the free society is possible" enough times then it will become so. Contributors include James L. Walker, John Beverley Robinson, Benjamin De Casseres, Zo d'Axa, Pierre Chardon, Daniel Giraud, Renzo Novatore, E. Bertran, S. E. Parker, Emile Armand, Enzo da Villafiore, Enzo Martucci, John Henry Mackay, J. N. Figgis, Herbert Stourzh, Georges Palante, Francis Ellingham, Laurance Labadie, Marilisa Fiorina, Peter Lamborn Wilson AKA Hakim Bey, Frank Brand aka Enrico Arrigoni. Table of Contents......Page 4 Preamble: Drawing First Blood by Meme, Myself and I......Page 8 PART 1. Rejecting the Stamp of Group Approval: first wave individualists in the US & Europe......Page 26 James L. Walker: A Unique One......Page 27 What Is Justice? by James L. Walker......Page 28 On Rights by James L. Walker......Page 31 Stirner on Justice by Tak Kak......Page 32 Selfhood Terminates Blind Man's Bluff by Tak Kak......Page 36 Egoism in Sexual Relations by Tak Kak......Page 38 Egoism by John Beverley Robinson......Page 39 The Land of the Altruists: A Parable for the Infant Class by John Beverley Robinson......Page 43 Posterity: The New Superstition By Benjamin De Casseres......Page 45 Zo d' Axa's Heresy......Page 49 Individualism by Pierre Chardon......Page 56 What Do Individualists Want? A 1920 Manifesto by The "Reveil De L'Eschlave" Group of Paris......Page 59 Renzo Novatore: Outlaw Anarchist by Daniel Giraud......Page 61 Iconoclasts, Forward! by Renzo Novatore......Page 63 Cry of Rebellion by Renzo Novatore......Page 64 In the Kingdom of the Spooks by Renzo Novatore......Page 70 The Bonnot Gang: A Reminiscence by E. Bertran......Page 74 Notes on Individualism by E. Bertran......Page 78 Three European Individualists: Some Notes on Armand, Martucci, and Novatore by s. E. Parker......Page 82 Individualist Perspectives by E. Armand......Page 88 Is the Anarchist Ideal Realizable? by E. Armand......Page 92 An Introduction To E. Armand: What He Was For, What He Was Against by S. E. Parker......Page 95 E.Armand: Sexual Liberationist (from an essay by Catherine Campousy)......Page 100 Letter to Emile Armand by America Scarfo......Page 108 On Sexual Equality: Edward Carpenter and Oscar Wilde by E. Armand......Page 112 Individual Differences: My Polemic with E. Armand by Enzo da Villafiore......Page 118 In Praise of Chaos By Enzo Martucci......Page 123 Manifesto dei Fuorigregge (Manifesto of the Outsiders)......Page 128 A Comment by S.E. Parker......Page 130 Government......Page 132 Economics......Page 133 Revolution......Page 134 PART 2. Rebels Building Dreams: second wave individualists reflect on their predecessors......Page 136 John Henry Mackay's Appreciation of Stirner......Page 137 To Max Stirner: ''The Ego and His Own, 1845" by John Henry Mackay......Page 142 John Henry Mackay by E. Armand......Page 149 The Anarchists: A Picture of Civilization at the Close of the Nineteenth Century recalled by Jim Kernochan......Page 150 Men Against The State: The Expositors of Individualist Anarchism in America, 1827-1908 by James J. Martin reviewed by S. E. Parker......Page 155 Pioneering Egoist Texts by S. E. Parker......Page 157 The Influence of Tucker's Ideas in France by E. Armand......Page 162 Stirner on Education by S. E. Parker......Page 166 Voltairine de CJeyre by S. E. Parker......Page 170 PART 3. Smashing Fossilized Patterns: Individualists & Egoists Critique Leftism and Its Heritage......Page 174 Anarchism versus Socialism by S.E. Parker......Page 175 Social Totalitarianism by Francis Ellingham......Page 179 Stirner, Marx and Fascism by S. E. Parker......Page 183 PART 4. Savage Summit: Egoist Perspectives on Nietzsche......Page 192 Nietzsche by Enzo Martucci......Page 193 Notes on Stirner and Nietzsche by S. E. Parker......Page 197 Stirner on Nietzsche? by J. N. Figgis......Page 201 Stourzh on Stirner and Nietzsche by Herbert Stourzh......Page 203 Nietzsche: Antichrist? by S. E. Parker......Page 206 PART 5. A Maze to Trap the Living: Society & the Unique One......Page 214 Anarchism and Individualism by Georges Palante......Page 215 Anarchism, Society and the Socialized Mind by Francis Ellingham......Page 229 A Note on Authority by Enzo Martucci......Page 242 A Letter to a Friend by Laurance Labadie......Page 243 Superstition and Ignorance VERSUS Courage and Self-Reliance by Laurance Labadie......Page 249 Joseph Labadie: Radical Labor Archivist & Individualist Poet......Page 251 Some Notes on Anarchism and The Proletarian Myth by S. E. Parker......Page 253 Enemies of Society: An Open Letter to the Editors of Freedom by S. E. Parker......Page 259 Anarchism, Individualism, & Society: Some Thoughts by Scepticus......Page 263 Anarchy & History: An Existentialist View by N. A. W.......Page 266 Freedom and Solitude by Marilisa Fiorina......Page 270 The Morality of Co-operation by S.E. Parker......Page 271 On Competition by Laurance Labadie......Page 273 In Defence of Stirner by Enzo Martucci......Page 275 Enzo Martucci: Italian Llghtbearer......Page 289 Brief Statements by Renzo Ferrari......Page 294 Malfew Seklew: The Jester Philosopher of Egoism by S. E. Parker......Page 295 Brand: An Italian Anarchist and His Dream by Peter Lamborn Wilson......Page 299 Down with Civilization By Enrico Arrigoni aka Frank Brand......Page 337 My Anarchism by S. E. Parker......Page 342 Appendix A: Archists, Anarchists and Egoists by Sidney Parker......Page 348 Flaming Resurrections of a Charred Alphabet! A Glossary of Basic Terms......Page 353 To Sketch the Echo and To Paint the Link! A List of Recommended Readings......Page 385