Individualism

How is individualism a sign of progress in today's world?

Modern society can be criticized for being too individualistic. Modern man or woman spends his or her leisure time watching television and using computers in isolation. The ideal employee spends the workdays isolated in a cubicle. The student sits in a classroom lecture hall, eyes on his or her notebook. However, individualism, for all of its problems is preferable to the collective life suffered by so many anonymous individuals before the age of modern capitalism. Before, human beings lived in small neighborhoods, yoked to the occupation of their father or mother, with little hope at bettering their lot in life. There was little leisure time at all, as people spent most of their lives fending for their existence, dependant upon their community, family, and luck for survival.

The progressive gospel of individualism, born of a capitalist economy that allows for the creation or new wealth and new forms of status, encourages individuals to learn, to strive for a better education, to get a better job so that they all human can expand their range of opportunities in life. Rather than limit themselves to what has always been done, individualism encourages people to explore different personas throughout their life, trying on different identities in school and at work.

The idea that the individual is valuable also underlines our modern political system in a progressive fashion. Every person has the right to freedom of expression, even if the majority disagrees with his or her viewpoint -- the minority view may still have something to contribute to the majority's point-of-view. Even our modern medical system, holds every life is seen as potentially and equally valuable. Thus, the idea of individualism is thus yoked to a kind of philosophical pluralism -- every individual is equally valuable, and is entitled to the same opportunities in life.