Johann Kaspar Schmidt (October 25, 1806 – June 26, 1856), better known as
Max Stirner, was a German philosopher. He is often seen as one of the forerunners of
nihilism,
existentialism,
postmodernism, and
anarchism, especially of
individualist anarchism. Stirner's main work is
The Ego and Its Own, also known as
The Ego and His Own (
Der Einzige und sein Eigentum in German, which translates literally as
The Unique One and His Property). This work was first published in 1845 in
Leipzig, and has since appeared in numerous editions and translations.