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Individualist Essay

Decent Essays

In Defense of the Individualist
Throughout history it has been the individualists, like Henry Ford and Rosa Parks, who have led nations, formed common groups, and made the greatest impact. However, people, such as the author, Michael Walzer, of “Multiculturalism and Individualism,” condemn the independent person as an unreliable “footloose” and “empty” creature (533). This denouncement of the socially unrestrained human is the fearful reaction to the power that these individuals can possesse. Nonetheless, strong individuals form the foundation of the world’s progress in technological and social fields because of their willingness to question and create.
Individualists have always been more involved with …show more content…

Christopher Little, the author of “Communitarianism, A New Threat For Gun Owners,” explains that communitarians believe that “liberty” is a threat to “public safety” (548). This fear of danger only inhibits the growth of the community. It has been said, a person only fails when he or she fails to try. By limiting people’s right to be different from their neighbor, whether it is the choice of gun possession or free speech, the communitarian damages the community. Individualists stand out as people who are willing to question and test the social and mechanical boundaries of the world.
Individualists are more socially persuasive than the faceless members of self-interest groups. History reveals that it is the individual that empowers the people. I ask you, what are ten important interest groups that had a positive influence on America in the nineteenth century? This is a difficult question. However, if the words “interest groups” are replaced with “individuals” the answer would be relatively easy. Michael Walzer claims that individuals are just “jetsam” floating aimlessly away from “every creative center”(533). But, it is the eccentric individualists who have the power to create the groups. Every group is a product of a individualist. So by arguing for the extermination of individualistic thought a group is actually

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