Why individualism and collectivism
Many current issues in America are concerned with or are a result of conflicts between individualism and collectivism, as the country is a mixture of both. So, it is important to have an understanding of the two concepts.
A country’s politics and government follow from a country’s predominant ethics, or morality.
If a country’s ethics are primarily oriented toward individualism, then the resulting government will also be primarily oriented toward individualism and the recognition and protection of individual rights. If a country’s ethics are primarily collectivist in nature, then so will be its government, which will override and violate individual rights in the name of the collective, or group.
Individualism
Formally, individualism is a social philosophy that regards the individual as the primary unit of moral and political value. [1, p161]
This is as opposed to collectivism, which is a social philosophy that regards the group as the primary unit of moral and political value, discussed in the next section.
As a perspective, individualism along with its accompanying philosophy of reason, freedom, and achievement is the foundation of America, as thoroughly documented in America’s Revolutionary Mind. [1]
Individualism is described in many ways.
Individualism is an idea of society that champions individual liberty, creativity, and self-reliance. A thriving society cannot be engineered by the collectivist designs of central planners, sociology professors, or government economists. Rather, it is the combined effects of individual actions and the spontaneous collaborations of free people that produce economic growth, cultural vitality, and social wellbeing. [2]
Individualism is captured in the idea of America: a nation of individuals, each endowed with economic freedom, self-reliant in applying their own energy and creativity to advance their own circumstances and, in collaboration with others, contributing to an expanding economy, a stronger society, and a growing well-being for all. [2]
Individualism is the political and social philosophy that emphasizes the worth of the individual. [3]
Individualism regards every person as an independent, sovereign entity, who possesses an inalienable right to his or her own life, a right derived from one’s nature as a rational being. Individualism holds that a civilized society, or any form of association, cooperation, or peaceful coexistence among people, can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights – and that a group, as such, has no rights other than the individual rights of its members. [4]
Individualism: Every person is an end in himself and not the means to someone else’s end, be it a neighbor, the majority of people in the state, or the government, or for the “common good.”.
Each individual is morally self-owning and self-governing. Each and every man owns his own self – his body and soul. [1, p161]
Individuals own their own lives and don’t “belong” to a king or the government or a group or a tribe or a race.
People are seen as independent and autonomous, and individual rights take center stage.
In a culture of individualism …
- You are responsible for your own life and for the consequences of your actions, both beneficially and detrimentally. Note: this is scary to many people.
- You interact with others voluntarily in the context of “value given for value received,” neither seeking value by the initiation of force or fraud, nor accepting ill-gotten gains.
- You strive for achievement and self-fulfillment.
- You pursue your rational self-interest.
- People are treated as individuals, and not as members of a race, clan, tribe, etc.
- People are judged individually by the “content of their character” and not by the class to which they happen to belong.
- You give people the benefit of the doubt until they indicate otherwise
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the moral worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one’s goals and desires and to value independence and self-reliance. The interests of the individual should achieve precedence over the state or a social group while opposing external interference upon one’s own interests by society or institutions such as the government. [5]
When you are able to pursue your dreams without government permission, it is absolutely exhilarating.
Since individualism champions individual liberty, creativity, and self-reliance, does this mean you have to do everything yourself? Certainly not! You don’t live on a desert island or on an isolated plot of land. Societies have a great deal of resources and relationships that allow people to achieve their goals through trading opportunities. We all benefit from the societal advantages of gaining knowledge from others and the division of labor. What individualism does mean is that the values of reason, thinking for yourself, and making independent decisions are primary in the conduct of your life.
Individualism is not “rugged,” nor does it imply that you are mean and trod over others or that you do not interact with or seek help from others to achieve your goals. We are social beings. You deal with people through voluntary actions, giving value in exchange for receiving value, both materially and psychologically. Benevolence and giving an initial benefit of the doubt are the bases for social cooperation.
Of course, you don’t isolate yourself; Americans have a multitude of interests and create and join organizations that support them. There are lots of group loyalties. I am proud to be an American. I support my favorite athletic teams. I support the organizations to which I belong. But the individual is still the moral primary, and not the group.
Why individualism is good for human life
By good is meant “all that which is proper to the life of a rational being.” [6] Since we survive by the use of our mind, we must be free to use it. This includes the freedom to act upon our own judgment in the furtherance of our own rational happiness, and the freedom to work for the achievement of one’s values and to keep and use the results. A culture and politic of individualism supports this notion of good.
References for Individualism
- America’s Revolutionary Mind: A Moral History of the American Revolution and the Declaration That Defined It by C. Bradley Thompson
- https://centerforindividualism.org/principles/what-is-individualism/
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/individualism
- “Racism” by Ayn Rand in The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individualism
- Galt’s radio speech in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Page 1014
Collectivism
Formally, collectivism is a social philosophy in which the group, or collective is the primary unit of moral and political value, wherein the individual is subordinate to a social collective such as a family, tribe, race, nation, or social class. [1] The ideology of collectivism is the notion that the individual must be subordinated to the collective or the “common good.”
This is as opposed to individualism, which is a social philosophy that regards the individual as the primary unit of moral and political value, as discussed in the previous section.
A slogan that describes the ethical premise of the collectivist philosophy is “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Of course, the fewest is the individual. And, of course, it is those in power who decide who the “many” are and what their “needs” are.
Collectivism is described in many ways. From a political point of view, collectivism is often called statism, where the collective is the state.
Collectivism holds that the individual has no rights, that his life and work belong to the group (to “society’, to the tribe, the state, the nation) and that the group may sacrifice him at its own whim to its own interests, The only way to implement a doctrine of that kind is by means of brute force – and statism has always been the political corollary of collectivism. [2]
Collectivism is a political or economic theory advocating collective control especially over production and distribution. An emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity. [3]
Collectivist cultures are usually contrasted with individualistic cultures. Collectivism stresses the importance of the community, while individualism is focused on the rights and concerns of each person. Where unity and selflessness are valued traits in collectivist cultures, independence and personal identity are promoted in individualistic cultures.
These cultural differences are pervasive and can influence many aspects of how society functions. How people shop, dress, learn, and conduct business can all be influenced by whether they are in a collectivist or individualist culture.
For example, workers who live in a collectivist culture might strive to sacrifice their own happiness for the greater good of the group. Those from individualistic cultures, on the other hand, may feel that their own well-being and goals carry greater weight. [4]
In a collectivist culture, people tend to view others through various collectivist lenses, such as race, gender, economic status, religion, place of birth, etc. rather than viewing people as individuals with their individual attributes. In such a culture, many decisions are made based on these collectivist (and often racial) attributes. The individual is robbed of his personal independence and dignity and reduced to a mere functional organ of the community by those in power. These lenses are often initiated and reinforced by the government.
In the case of Critical Race Theory, the groups to which people are assigned are the oppressed (people of color) and the oppressors (whites, generally males). This particular grouping is very similar to Marxism (yet another version of collectivism), which focuses on the (alleged) struggle between capitalists and the working class. Marx wrote that the power relationships between them were inherently exploitative and would inevitably create class conflict. [5]
Under collectivism, politically, some or all of the rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness are not recognized by the government. Under various forms of collectivism, the government may force you to live where it wants you to live, it may tell you what you must do with your property, it may confiscate your property and business, it may tell you what you can or cannot do with your body, etc.
Political examples of collectivism include, socialism, fascism, communism, and statism. [6] There is no clear dividing line between them, as they are all variations on the same theme.
Economically, variations of collectivism differ in the type and amount of government ownership and control over the means of production and distribution of goods and services and the redistribution of income. This includes the government’s role in “planning” the economy.
They all involve some manner of collective control or ownership and distribution of property away from individuals, via laws, taxes, and regulations. They just differ in the method or degree as they are all sides of the same political coin. They are all based on the same ethical premises. I use collectivism as the generic term.
Socialism, including so-called “democratic” socialism, is a government that provides goods and services that, under an individualist society, would be provided by private enterprise, such as transportation, healthcare, retirement, education, welfare, etc. A socialist government might decide what occupations one may engage in and regulate how they operate. A socialist government would redistribute income through taxation and regulation.
The more collectivist socialist governments would actually own and administer the means of production and distribution of goods and services.
Fascism is a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Nazis) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.
Communism is a doctrine based on a Marxist-Leninist ideology that is a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production. There are almost no individual rights, including property rights. Examples include the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea.
Statism is a concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of a highly centralized government often extending to government ownership of industry.
“Fascism and communism are not two opposites, but two rival gangs fighting over the same territory … both are variants of statism, based on the collectivist principle that man is the rightless slave of the state.” [7]
“There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide.” – Ayn Rand
Since a country’s politics are based upon the country’s predominant ethics, collectivist ethics to varying degrees, will lead to collectivist politics to varying degrees. Hence, if it is moral for the group needs to outweigh the needs of the individual, then it will eventually follow that the government will implement that morality by force to satisfy the needs of the group (as defined by those in power) at the expense of individuals. Ethics begets politics.
For example, if it is a moral imperative to be your “brother’s keeper,” then that gives sanction for the government to force you to pay taxes to support welfare, healthcare, housing, disaster relief, etc. for those “in need” whether you want to or not and ignoring your individual personal dreams, goals, and financial and psychological situation.
This is contrasted to an individualist politic that would recognize the rights of individuals with their concomitant property rights, and the needs of those in need would be fulfilled through voluntary action, such as through private charitable organizations. For example, after the 9/11 tragedy, people voluntarily gave over $1/2 billion to the American Red Cross alone, and over $1 billion in total to charities helping victims of the attack.
The more a society drifts toward collectivism, the more that dissention and disagreement are stifled, punished, and sometimes violently eliminated. Freedom of speech is not tolerated in the more collectivist countries. A recent example is the suppression of free speech in Hong Kong by Communist China. Individualism begets freedom of speech; collectivism abhors and suppresses it.
If the government can tell you what can and can’t do with your business and property, then you are unable work for the achievement of your values and keep and use the results as you see fit. As humans we need to use, control, and dispose the products of our work in order to live and prosper by our own judgment. If we can’t do that, we are figuratively, if not literally, slaves to the state.
America, with its strong individualist genesis, has prospered in spite of government interference in the economy and in our lives. Economically, as government tentacles spread, companies get “in bed” initially with the government as a defensive action through legislative and regulatory lobbying.
But that evolves into “cronyism” where government and some big businesses collude with each other to stifle competition and independence, and to create “bail outs” at taxpayer expense when things go sour. Recent examples include banks and automobile companies. Here, the collective are those businesses and affected government agencies whose “needs” outweighed the needs of individual taxpayers.
Almost all countries in the world, including America, are somewhere on the political spectrum between individualism and collectivism. The more collectivist, the more the collective takes precedence over the individual, morally and politically.
It is important to note that although America was founded on an individualist ideology, where the individual is the primary unit of moral and political value, the culture has gradually been eroded by a continuing onslaught of collectivism with an attendant loss of rights and freedoms. Today, America is a mixed bag of philosophies.
References for Collectivism
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/collectivism
- “Racism” by Ayn Rand in The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collectivism
- https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-collectivistic-cultures-2794962
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marxism.asp
- Extracts from https://www.merriam-webster.com/
- “Extremism, or the Art of Smearing” by Ayn Rand in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand
Photo Credits
- People icons standing in line: Unknown Author licensed under CC-BY-NC
- Individualism balance: Unknown Author licensed under CC-BY-SA, People icons licensed under CC-BY-NC
- Collectivism balance: Unknown Author licensed under CC-BY-SA, People icons licensed under CC-BY-NC