Any of you heathens ever read this book? I'm nearly done with it, probably would've finished it by now but my manic depressions been acting up. It's been extremely influential on my thinking, makes a lot of sense for anyone who cherishes individualism. Basically it's the Young Hegelian philosopher Max Stirner making the assertion of his "anti ideology ideology" and proposing a radical form of individualism he calls Egoism. Though little known his popularity has been making a resurfacing lately as his work as had influence on Nihilism, Existentialism, and Anarchism. The way the man analyzed the social stratusphere he existed in was brillaint and sent Marx into a period of doubt which resulted in him publishing a book of ad hominem attacks for fear of what Stirner's individualistic philosophy could do to Communism.
There's also the question as to whether Nietzsche knew of him and was influenced greatly by his work.
Since Lavey synthesized the ideas of Rand, Nietzsche, and Redbeard I find it surprising he hadn't heard anything of Stirner.
I read The Ego and It's Own some time ago. From what I recall, it was an interesting read, once I managed to get my head around Stirner's ideosyncratic rhetorical style. He tends to argue from a multitude of viewpoints simultaneously, often obscuring the actual point he is trying to make.
Nevertheless, some of the terms he introduced are quite interesting, his 'Spooks' in particular. It's rather a shame they didn't catch on.
