What is individualism?

Question

Can someone explain it to me? Ive searched online but i just dont get it!

Answer 1

The Indivisible unit of humanity.

Answer 2

I will paste some answers, and give commentary too.

"Individualism regards man—every man—as an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being. Individualism holds that a civilized society, or any form of association, cooperation or peaceful coexistence among men, 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."

“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 129; Ayn Rand

"Individualism" by that name is the big deal that it is because Rand made it that big a deal; AND because all those who think Rand's ideas are non-sense argue about it and help make the idea a big idea.

But individualism began with America's Founders, who conceived of a thing called "individual sovereignty," after reading Aristotle and John Locke. Locke took Aristotle's ideas of what it is to be Man, along with the idea of men having rights, an idea which took form in the Magna Charta, and he devised "common sovereignty."

"Common sovereignty" means the consent of the governed. But America's Founders wondered: How does an individual give his consent to be governed by the "commonality" in a democracy, if he himself as an individual does not own the sovereign right, in order to give it? In other words, how can a man give up some of his rights to the "common sovereignty" if he himself does not have those right to give?

"Individual sovereignty was not a peculiar conceit of Thomas Jefferson: It was the common assumption of the day;" http://www.friesian.com/ellis.htm

So while the Founders may not have called it "individualism," it has its conceptual dependency on the idea of the "sovereignty" of the individual man. It has its roots in Aristotle's "Man qua Man" as the 18th Century--and the 20th Century--understood man's political rights.

Rand elevated it to its natural 20th Century place in politics and economics, as well as in ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Her critics are not willing to admit "they hate her but that her idea is as old as the Magna Charta"--actually older, because the Charta has its roots in other documents. They won't admit she is right.

My own website deals with the individual sovereignty of men, but that is not its primary purpose. Its purpose is the teaching of the ideas of Naturalism.

http://freeassemblage.blogspot.com/ Thank you for looking.

Answer 3

Expressions of an individual.

Answer 4

No disrespect intended, but . . .  Figure it out for yourself!

Answer 5

Seems as though no one knows. Well, "individualism" means being independent; it means being able to think, instead of being like sheep and doing what every one else does. It means you don't care about fashion; you do a job because it is what you are good at, not necessarily what will earn you the most money.

And, it means NOT being a Liberal, a Communist, etc.

Answer 6

It's easiest to understand if you compare it to its dialectic opposite, 'groupism'.

An extreme individualist will not want to work in a group and will even wind up sabotaging any group effort.  The extreme individualist thinks that only individual effort is to be valued.  An individualist would support free self-expression to the extreme, limiting it only insofar as it might prevent others from their own individual expression.

Groupism, by contrast, devalues individual effort and encourages subordination of self to the group.  These sorts of people will always seek others to help with any complex challenges.  Group-oriented people tend to conform to the group norms, dressing and talking and eating and recreating in ways that the group supports.

Few people are extreme, most are a little individualistic or groupist but can function in the other setting.

Culturally, the USA is individualistic, Japan is groupist.  You can see that in all levels of society and even individual development; in the USA for example, mothers play with their infants by teaching the infant how to name different parts of a toy (look! horsie!  where's his tail?  where's his head?) while Japanese mothers will engage in interactive sharing (I give it to you--now you give it to me!).

Answer 7

Search for Ayn Rand's The Virtue of Selfishness.

Here she discussed selfishness or individualism in a different way- I men not simply as just I, me, and myself...

but why individualism is good-the virtue in being selfish...

Basically individualism is about self-determination, self-motivation, self-generating, freedom and being selfish...

I guess it’s more like I’m doing this for myself and nothing else, but in doing so I do not degrade the rights or freedom of others. I do not need others help and I only interact with others because of functions (I talk to a cashier because his function as a cashier is to interact with costumers and me as a costumer talks to her because of his function-nothing more). I create things according to my plan and not according to others nor for others, I think basing on my thoughts not on what others enforce me to, I am the captain of my ship and blah.blah.blah...

Individualism differs on the Philosopher who would like to define it-either agree to its philosophy or contradict it.

Answer 8

...simply a me, myself and i mentality, emotionally, spiritually and

physically...all others don't count...