Can America Survive Without Individualism?

One of the things that made the United States work was the philosophy of individualism that undergirded our society.

I’m always hesitant to label myself as a member of any particular ideological group. Sometimes it’s almost unavoidable, like when you’re filling out your bio on Twitter. People want to know what you believe and what “team” you're on.

But picking sides in some ways runs counter to a good and deeply American idea: individualism.

One of the basic tenets of individualism is that it rejects group identity. It’s in many ways a uniquely American idea, as Dan Sanchez and Patrick Carroll explain.

In most cultures in the past, a person’s rights were largely determined by their group identity. In ancient Rome, for example, there was a patrician class and a plebeian class. Patricians had considerably more rights and power than plebeians, but membership in the class (or caste) was determined by ancestry, so no amount of individual effort could change the power imbalance. Feudal societies likewise had strict distinctions between lords and serfs, making it nearly impossible to change one’s social status.

All that changed, however, in the 18th century with the rise of classical liberalism, a thoroughly individualistic political philosophy (not to be confused with the modern liberalism associated with the political left). The main tenets of liberalism were simple, yet revolutionary. According to the philosophy, all people have equal rights as individuals regardless of their group identity, and they should be free to make use of their own persons and property however they see fit so long as they do not violate the equal rights of others to do the same.

The most famous codification of the principles of liberalism is found in the Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In framing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson and his co-authors drew largely on the philosophy of John Locke, who is known as the father of liberalism. In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke argued that individual rights are the foundation of a liberal society, beginning with the right of self-ownership.

Individualism is part of the DNA of America. It’s rooted in the idea that we all have the same rights, that the government's very purpose and reason for being is to protect those rights.

But it goes beyond rights. Individualism is also about nonconformity. It’s about taking the path not chosen. It’s about “thinking different,” as Steve Jobs—one of history’s great individualists—showed in Apple’s memorable ad campaign,

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A Warning Against Faction

Admittedly, It took a while for the full promise of individualism to reach all members of American society. But it was classical liberalism—which saw all humans and as individuals—that paved the way for the abolition of slavery and women’s rights.

One of the reasons I bring all this up is because group identity seems to be all the rage. Society has become atomized into factions. If you’re not on our team—MAGA, LGBTQ, BLM, ANTIFA, GOP, Democrat, etc.—you’re against us. 

In his Farewell Address, George Washington warned about the dangers of faction, and the corrosive effect it has on a people and its government. 

“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual, and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty.”

A brief look at history—before Washington’s Farewell Address and after—shows how right Washington was about faction. Europe’s religious wars of the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries nearly tore Christendom apart. 

The 20th century was even worse. The 1920s and 1930s witnessed the rise of Communists and fascists, both of whom sought to use government to crush their foes. Sadly, they largely succeeded. Stalin starved millions of kulaks, while Hitler’s Final Solution targeted Jews, gypsies, and other groups, killing millions.  

In Rwanda it was hundreds of thousands of Tutsis killed by armed Hutu militias. The examples go on and on. 

The world has already traveled down this path of collectivism, Yet today all I see is people obsessed with group identity. This does not bode well for America. 

One of the things that made the nation work was the philosophy of individualism that undergirded our society. An America divided into countless political and ideological tribes, special interest groups, and partisan factions will end badly.

I’m not sure the United States is worth saving at this point, but I’m convinced that the only way to save it is with a return to classical liberalism and, more specifically, a rebirth of individualism. 

This means not just rejecting a “team mentality,” but striving to see others not by their identity—whether it be Jew, Catholic, or Muslim, or LGBT, MAGA, or BLM—but as individuals.

I won’t promise you that embracing individualism will save American politics, but I can assure you it will make you a better person.