Human society is non-conservative, which means it lends itself to transformation over time. The dynamism of social structure is perfectly observable through the study of the role of the individual in the overall system of relations. The originally collective, communal individual has become individualized and moderately selfish under the conditions of the modern agenda. This essay assesses four main reasons for this change and provides a causal analysis of the culture of individualism.
First and foremost, the evolutionary nature of human cultures in the face of the increasing population should be emphasized. In recent years, the public has often claimed overpopulation, and at the same time, the emphasis on individualism has increased: it is difficult not to draw a parallel between the two (Hendrixson & Hartmann, 2019). In the first thousands of years of human existence, human numbers were extremely low and, in order to survive, they had to band together in communities and defend themselves together against the enemy. By the current moment, overpopulation is evident, resulting in the abandonment of a culture of unification and integration. Consequently, surrounded by thousands of other people, individuals no longer feel external danger — especially in large cities — and therefore can afford to be withdrawn.
In the elaboration of the first reason, one should also note the general economic growth of civilization. The implication is that the primitive communal structure required men to team up to kill a large prey (Service, 2018). In other words, men had to be collective to survive. Over time, this agenda has changed meaningfully, and resources for survival are now available at the nearest supermarket. Therefore, the modern individual sees no need for the collective and, as a consequence, is quite capable of taking care of themselves. The economic driving force has penetrated deeply into the minds of modern individuals and guides them by showing a lack of need for unification.
The search for resources for survival is only part of the global economic system of capitalism that has evolved over the centuries and has become almost ubiquitous in today’s world. Within capitalism, the craving for personal enrichment through entrepreneurship and self-discovery has always been encouraged. Capitalism, enshrined as a philosophy for several generations, gave birth to a new man who put personal interests and needs ahead of others. In this context, it is essential to note the importance of reflexivity, which Spinoza spoke of as a natural biological human desire for a profound self-exploration (Green, 2017). Consequently, the emergence and development of the capitalist system were able to transform the self-consciousness of the individual and resulted in a moderately selfish individual.
An extremely important reason for stimulating individualistic culture is also the development of man’s intellectual capacity. The scientific-industrial revolution led to the emergence of hundreds of new professional roles, resulting in people — still working within unions and labor collectives — seeking new knowledge (Marsh, 2018). Over time, this led to an overall increase in competencies and skills throughout society and, as a result, the emergence of a diversity of views and opinions. The modern individual realized that following a single philosophy and state ideology is not always in the individual’s interest, so it is advisable to abstract away from the general and pay attention to oneself. In other words, the intellectualization of society because of scientific progress may have influenced the formation of the individual’s needs for an individualistic culture.
In conclusion, it should be emphasized that craving for individualization characterizes the current stage of societal development. This paper has consistently discussed four causal factors that have driven the creation of an individualistic culture. First, overpopulation as a cause led to a sense of personal security. Second, the availability of resources for survival showed a lack of need for the collective. Third, the development and entrenchment of capitalist philosophy increased the individual’s craving for self-knowledge. Finally, the scientific-industrial revolution initiated the intellectualization of society, as a result of which the individual discovered a conflict of personal interests with public or state interests.
References
Green, K. (2017). Spinoza on reflexive affects and the imitation of affects. In A. Smrcz et al. (Eds.) The concept of affectivity in early modern philosophy (pp. 124-140). Gyöngyösi Megyer.
Hendrixson, A., & Hartmann, B. (2019). Threats and burdens: Challenging scarcity-driven narratives of “overpopulation”. Geoforum, 101, 250-259.
Marsh, A. (2018). Could a more individualistic world also be a more altruistic one? NPR. Web.
Service, E. R. (2018). Primitive culture. Britannica. Web.