Can America Survive Without Individualism?

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

Jon Miltimore
February 3, 2025

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.

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.

Continue reading in The Take (by Jon Miltimore).