Max Stirner and the Possessed Masses: Spooks, COVID, and the Ukraine War Narrative
Who Was Max Stirner?
Max Stirner (born Johann Kaspar Schmidt in 1806) was a German philosopher, best known for his book Der Einzige und sein Eigentum (The Ego and Its Own, 1844). He was part of the Young Hegelians, an intellectual group that included Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, whom he later criticized harshly.
Unlike Marx, who wanted to replace capitalism with communism, Stirner rejected all ideologies as illusions—what he called “spooks” (Spuk). For him, the only true reality was the individual and his power. Everything else—state, religion, morality, even humanism—was a construct designed to control people.
Marx and Engels despised Stirner so much that they spent over 300 pages attacking him in The German Ideology (1845). Engels even drew a sketch of Stirner, depicting him as a ghost—an appropriate image, since Stirner’s ideas would haunt leftist philosophy forever.
1. The COVID Narrative: The Spook of Collective Fear
For Stirner, fear is the most effective way to control individuals, and the COVID era proved how easily people surrender to authority when driven by fear.
-The Individual Vanished → Society no longer saw people as sovereign beings but as potential virus carriers.
-Morality Was Weaponized → Those who questioned the mandates were not just “wrong” but selfish and dangerous.
-The State Became the Church → “Experts” took on the role of high priests, and blind faith replaced critical thinking.
To Stirner, this was a textbook case of ideological possession. People no longer acted out of personal judgment but out of submission to a collective hysteria. The spook of “Public Health” turned free individuals into obedient subjects.
2. The Ukraine War Narrative: The Spook of Manufactured Loyalty
Stirner viewed war as a grand illusion—a conflict where people kill and die not for themselves but for abstract causes. The Ukraine conflict is a perfect example.
-People blindly picked sides → Not based on deep geopolitical knowledge, but based on mainstream narratives.
-Flags replaced thinking → Posting a Ukrainian flag emoji became a moral requirement rather than an informed choice.
-The illusion of “good vs. evil” → As if wars were moral battles rather than political power struggles.
Stirner would mock those who uncritically accept war propaganda. For him, the question is simple: “What do I personally gain from this?” If the answer is nothing, then why should the egoist care?
3. The Egoist’s Response: Why Should I Care?
A true Stirnerian egoist would reject both COVID hysteria and war propaganda—not because he lacks concern for health or geopolitics, but because he refuses to be a pawn.
-He acts in his own interest → Not in the interest of governments, corporations, or media narratives.
-He rejects guilt-based coercion → No moral blackmail will make him obey blindly.
-He refuses to sacrifice himself for illusions
-He will not suffer for a cause that does not serve him.
When the world says, “You must comply for the greater good!”, the Stirnerian egoist laughs and asks, “Whose good?”
When the world says, “You must pick a side!”, the Stirnerian egoist smirks and says, “Why should I fight your war?”
4. Egoism: The Most Honest Way to Live
The word "egoist" has a negative connotation, but only because society fears those who think for themselves.
Stirner’s egoism is not about being a selfish brute, but about living for oneself rather than being enslaved by abstract ideas.
An egoist is not necessarily cruel or antisocial. He may help others, form relationships, and even contribute to society—but only because he chooses to, not because he is forced.
Egoism is not evil—it is self-possession. The egoist refuses to be manipulated by fear, duty, or guilt.
True freedom means owning oneself. The egoist is not ruled by governments, ideologies, or moral expectations—he is ruled only by his own will.
An egoist is not a monster. He is simply free.
5. Conclusion: A Society of Servants, Not Individuals
For Stirner, the modern world is no different from the religious societies of the past—only the gods have changed. Yesterday, men were possessed by the Church, the Nation, the King. Today, they are possessed by "Public Health," "Democracy," and "Moral Duty."
-Sacrifice yourself for the illusion of a greater good.
-Shame those who refuse.
-Declare your servitude as a sign of virtue.
And in the end, the egoist watches the masses, shakes his head, and continues walking his own path, untouched by their illusions.