Pursuit of the Abstract

The primary goal of this introductory chapter is to provide an overview of the underlying themes of the book. The chapter sets out the central question that guides the book: what drives political fanaticism, the intense fixation on political ends? The answer, the chapter suggests, can be found in the works of the nineteenth-century philosopher Max Stirner, when examined through the lens of political theology. When doing so, an in-depth analysis of the works of Stirner exposes his ideas of an innate psychological impulse for faith that leads to the imposition of a metaphysical framework on the world that, in turn, leads to fanaticism. The chapter further clarifies how the book will contrast Stirner’s thought to that of Carl Schmitt, as Schmitt is the perfect foil, to further reveal Stirner’s contributions to the field of political theology. It concludes by showing how a politico-theological reading of the works of Stirner better illuminates the psychological, anarchist, and existential reading of his work.