Argument Against Individualism

The source is promoting a more modern form of society where individualism is beneficial as it involves less or little government intervention. The source supports individualism and independence, aiming for minimal to no government interference in the economy. The source states that the welfare state, where government provides for many of the material, social and economic needs of the population, “arose out of a misguided desire” which is The perspective of this specific quote could potentially be of a capitalist. It attacks the idea behind a welfare state, calling these societies “misguided”,as well as wishing dependency be “eliminated”. From the source’s strong opposition against dependency, it shows their support for an economy with
The key to a successful society is not only its prosperity, but how sustainable it is. The fundamentals behind a welfare state are flawed in that it is not maintainable. In order for a sustainable high quality of life, individualism is needed because it encourages hard work and creativity. Hard work and creativity are essential for success in a society where individualism is endorsed. With the few economic regulations that the government imposes, and the competition that occurs, the only way to be successful is to be better. The only way to be better than a competitor is hard work. If a government has too heavy a hand in its economy, a dependency arises as suggested in the source, which would smother work incentive, leading to a reduction in creativity. With innovation, which comes hand in hand with creativity, advances in technology can be made, continuing a society’s growth in prosperity and thus quality of life. Because America is one of the most capitalist countries in the world, Americans encourage such creativity and innovation in its entrepreneurs with its minimal government interference in the economy. With high standard of living as a result of the imaginative and hard work encouraged in individualistic states, the source should be
As a result of these motivations for hard work and innovation, the standard of living in capitalist societies is commonly higher than those using the more left-winged systems. With an economic system that encourages individualism, there is often incentive to work hard and “think outside the box”. This normally means higher prosperity, better technology, and more importantly, more freedom for the individual, whereas in a more public state, one would be in a position of “bettering the state” with a lot less freedoms in life. Thus, the “culture of dependency on the state” must be eliminated. Because there is a lack of dependence on the state in an individualistic society, the government is able to spend less money on public services, allowing the state to be less burdened by its people, reducing the risk of deficits. The hard work and creativity that this kind of state encourages makes up for this dependence and even allows for an increase in prosperity, hence the source should be