Individualism

Individualism, in political and economic philosophy, the doctrine, promulgated by such theorists as the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes and the Scottish economist Adam Smith, that society is an artificial device, existing only for the sake of its members as individuals, and properly judged only according to criteria established by them as individuals. An individualist does not necessarily subscribe to the doctrine of egoism, which regards self-interest as the only logical human motivation. He or she may instead be guided in political and economic thinking by motives of altruism, holding that the end of social, political, and economic organization is the greatest good for the greatest number. What characterizes such an individualist thinker, however, is his or her conception of the “greatest number” as composed of independent units and an opposition to the interference of the state with the happiness or freedom of these units.

Individualist tendencies or theories play a part in all the sciences that deal with a person as a social being. Although individualism would theoretically consider the state as placing an artificial restraint on a person's individual tendencies, practical distinctions between individualism and its antitheses, such as socialism, are often difficult to make. Individualism differs from socialist or collectivist theories not so much in setting a high value upon the well-being and free initiative of the individual as in subordinating the demands of the community as a whole to individual welfare.