Does excessive selfishness & extreme individualism of themany(or thefew?)contribute to socioeconomic problems?

Question

I think of this topic whenever I see the crowded traffic with so many single-drivers commuting all alone in their cars or when I see people with cell phones yakking away in their cars slowing traffic down & driving carelessly!

Answer 1

Read Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

But to answer the question, extreme individualism is pretty much what American style democracy is based on.

Pursuit of happiness and all that.

then of course their reaganomics(trickle down theory) which emphasizes this.

But, not being a republican and more than happy to pay my taxes, I'd have to say that extreme selfishness is more a personal issue but if anything is probably very healthy for our economy.

Answer 2

Compare collectivist societies to individualistic ones. The collectivists (China, Russia, etc.) have more poverty, more pollution and more waste of resources. More individual cultures (USA, UK) have these problems on a much smaller scale because individuals have the ability and desire to solve problems. Free people are  more invested in their societies because they have the ability to act individually or in groups rather than having to wait for some bureacracy to take action.