Guests: John Zigterman, co-host of Beep Beep Lettuce; Adam, co-host of Acid Horizon; Eliot Rosenstock, author of Zizek and The Clinic. Interesting topics: Sterner's influence on Marx, exploring autonomy and society's enclosure, the illusory nature of identity, the concept of transgression, freedom and unfreedom in power structures, individualism, capitalism, and revolutionary thought, revolution and insurrection, and the freedom of unfixed purpose.
Society molds and encloses individuals, preventing true autonomy and self-ownership.
Abstract forces, like ideology, shape thoughts and actions, limiting individual agency.
Rejecting false inward freedom imposed by external forces is true self-interest.
Sterner would likely oppose accelerationism, advocating for personal autonomy and resistance against abstract forces.
True autonomy requires challenging not just external control, but also familial structures.
Deep dives
Society as a Molding Force of Power
Sterner defines society as an enclosure that holds individuals within itself, molding and enclosing them in power structures. He provides examples like prisons to illustrate how society restricts human interaction and shapes behavior. Sterner emphasizes that as long as there is law and external power structures, individuals cannot truly be autonomous or possess self-ownership.
The Power of Absence and Abstract Forces
Sterner argues that people do not have power; rather, abstract forces or spooks hold power over individuals. These forces, such as ideology or phantasms, have a profound impact on people's thoughts and actions, even though they are intangible and often inhuman. Sterner explores the tensions between individuality and the encroachment of power, emphasizing the need to resist the influence of abstract forces and maintain a sense of self-ownership.
The Dialectic of Greed and Selflessness
Sterner challenges the conventional notions of greed and selflessness, suggesting that true self-interest lies in rejecting the false inward freedom imposed by external forces. He critiques the pursuit of power and possessions that ultimately bend individuals to their will. Sterner encourages individuals to personally assert their desires and create their own relations to the world, rather than conforming to societal expectations and surrendering their own autonomy.
The Dichotomy Between Sterner and Accelerationism
While accelerationism prioritizes the intensification of systems and technologically driven progress, Sterner would likely oppose this view. He would argue that accelerationism depersonalizes and alienates individuals, emphasizing the importance of a dialectical engagement with power and the pursuit of self-interest. Sterner would urge individuals to question and resist the abstract forces that seek to dominate them, advocating for personal autonomy and the pursuit of one's own desires.
The Importance of Individual Autonomy
Steiner emphasizes the significance of individual autonomy and self-mediation as a means of resisting external control and domination. He critiques the concept of the 'I' as a reflection of societal norms and argues for a more self-directed approach to life.
The Illusory Nature of Equality
Steiner challenges the notion of equality, arguing that it is only a thought, a generality, and that true equality is unattainable. He asserts that fellow feeling and love for others is natural and brings happiness, but rejects the idea of moral commandments for love, advocating for a personal, genuine expression of empathy.
The Dangers of Familial Piety
Steiner examines the concept of familial piety and the power it holds over individuals. He highlights how transgressions against familial norms often hold greater emotional weight and consequences than violations of societal laws. Steiner asserts that true autonomy requires challenging and resisting not just external control, but also the control exerted by family structures.
The Need for Insurrection
Steiner argues for a movement towards insurrection rather than revolution, advocating for individuals to stray from the established order and establish their own autonomous associations. He contends that insurrection involves rising above the existing systems of power and overturning them by asserting one's own autonomy and individuality.
Humans have no inherent purpose or calling
According to the podcast episode, human beings, like plants and animals, have no inherent mission or purpose. The idea is that humans are not called to anything, but rather they possess forces that manifest themselves in their interactions with the world. The focus is on enjoying and consuming the world for self-enjoyment, just like a flower absorbs the earth's juices and a bird catches bugs and sings. Humans have the ability to intervene in the world more powerfully than other beings, but they must exercise their forces and avoid being fettered by abstractions or false purposes.
Intercourse with the world is about self-enjoyment
Another key point from the episode is that intercourse with the world is about enjoying and consuming it for self-enjoyment. Humans are called to enjoy the world and make it their property, not in a possessive sense, but in terms of fully experiencing and interacting with it. It is emphasized that humans should renounce any fixed calling or purpose and instead focus on the mutual autonomy between themselves and the world. This idea of self-enjoyment and autonomy is contrasted with the capitalist system that directs desires towards external objects and creates spooks or illusory desires. Embracing self-enjoyment and rejecting these false desires is seen as a path towards true freedom.
John Zigterman, co-host of Beep Beep Lettuce, Adam, co-host of Acid Horizon and Eliot Rosenstock, author of Zizek and The Clinic, join me for the 5th installment of a series of episodes interrogating Max Stirner's The Unique and It's Property. This Episode will cover My Intercourse (2.2.2)pg. 222 in the Wolfie Landstreicher translation of the Unique and Its Property.
Link to the text:
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/max-stirner-the-unique-and-its-property
Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4:
https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/john-zigterman-facebookvillain-ego-book-pt-1
https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/john-and-adam-ego-book-part-2
https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/john-and-eliot-ego-book-part-3
https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/john-zigterman-and-eliot-rosenstock-ego-book-part-4
John's Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/facebookvillain
Beep Beep Lettuce: https://soundcloud.com/beepbeepleaf
Eliot's Links:
https://twitter.com/CtrlRetrnRpresd
https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/authors/eliot-rosenstock
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5irXEV0jAnXb66-TqZ2ioQ/videos
Adam's Links:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/acid-horizon
https://twitter.com/DeleuzoHegelian
https://happyhourathippels.wordpress.com/
https://thecominginsurrection.bandcamp.com/
Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/muhh
Twitter: @unconscioushh
Instagram: @unconscioushh
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