By Lawrence W. Reed “People hate being made to think,” the educator and classical scholar Edith Hamilton (1867-1963) once said. Laziness of mind is indeed easy to find, even more so today than in her time. It shows up in vapid social media posts, flippant political rhetoric, superficial media coverage, knee-jerk but sanctimonious opinions, and the widespread absence of … [Read more...] about Why Edith Hamilton Feared the Decline of Individualism More Than Atomic Bombs
Individualism
F.A. Hayek on “the Supreme Rule” That Separates Collectivism From Individualism
By Lawrence W. Reed Born in Vienna on this date (May 8) in 1899, Austrian economist and political philosopher Friedrich August von Hayek lived to see almost the entirety of the 20th Century. He won a Nobel Prize for Economics in 1974 and died in 1992 at the age of 92. The 20th was perhaps the most collectivist century since the Incan Empire of the 16th—a tragic irony … [Read more...] about F.A. Hayek on “the Supreme Rule” That Separates Collectivism From Individualism
Is Individualism vs. Collectivism the New Left vs. Right?
By Nicholas Baum When we normally think of the “political spectrum,” we picture a linear scale extending in opposite directions. The left side we think of as “liberal” or “progressive,” and the right side we consider “conservative.” We like to use this one dimensional map as a way of comparing and contrasting different ideologies and beliefs, simplifying the complexities … [Read more...] about Is Individualism vs. Collectivism the New Left vs. Right?
21 Nonconformity Quotes to Help You Resist the Crowd
By Jon Miltimore The author Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) once observed that one of the downsides of the modern age is that humans are ill-equipped to resist an endless onslaught of messaging (the “incessant battery of words, words, words.”) Literacy had expanded but the tools of reason, logic, and deduction were being lost even as humans were being exposed to mass media and … [Read more...] about 21 Nonconformity Quotes to Help You Resist the Crowd
Individual Goodness Is the Antidote to Collective Turmoil
By Bryan Hyde In my day to day search for interesting and, hopefully, relevant content, there are a handful of discussion boards I visit. The discussions span a wide range of interesting topics from history to how to cook a particular dish to where to find a good deal on wool socks to the best song of the 1960s. However, politics, by far, appears to be the most common … [Read more...] about Individual Goodness Is the Antidote to Collective Turmoil
I, Individual: Why the Individual Should Be Celebrated
By Lawrence W. Reed If it’s a coincidence that “individual” begins with a letter that’s also a closely associated word, it’s a happy one indeed. Individual and I are inseparable. “I” is the pronoun used to refer to oneself as the speaker, writer, thinker, or actor. Without exception, “I” is an individual, not a group or a collective of any sort. This fact is worth endless … [Read more...] about I, Individual: Why the Individual Should Be Celebrated
Let’s Revive the Term Individualism
By Stephen Davies If like me you are someone who believes in the values and political principles of individual liberty, personal rights, and limited government, then you face many challenges in the contemporary cultural and political climate. Ideas directly opposed to those principles are gaining ground — on both political sides. Faced with this situation it may seem … [Read more...] about Let’s Revive the Term Individualism
The Battle Isn’t Right vs. Left. It’s Statism vs. Individualism
By Daniel J. Mitchell I’ve written about how totalitarian ideologies such as communism and Nazism have a lot in common. Both subordinate the individual to the state and both give the state power over the economy. And both slaughter millions of people. My buddy from grad school, Matt Kibbe, has a great video on this issue. Needless to say, I agree with Matt’s … [Read more...] about The Battle Isn’t Right vs. Left. It’s Statism vs. Individualism