FREE ESSAY ON INDIVIDUALISM

INDIVIDUALISM

Individualism
Individualism :is a novel expression, to which a novel idea has given birth. In
individualism a person is able to separate himself from everyone else. He becomes selfish
and thinks of himself. 
In aristocracy, people lead their lives "imposing duties on himself towards the former
and latter." Tocqueville is basically saying in his piece on Individualism from Democracy
in America, that mankind in aristocracy would feel a duty towards his ancestors and
towards his family and friends around him. He would lead his life giving up things for
himself and for the people that came before him and come after him. Man is giving himself
up to please his ancestors. An example is if your father was a blacksmith and your
grandfather was a blacksmith, the son feels as though he has an obligation to become a
blacksmith because his father wishes it and because his family history consists of
blacksmiths. He would also try to make his own son in the future become a blacksmith so
that the family line of blacksmiths would go on. 
In democracy and in individualism, Tocqueville says that man cares about himself. Mankind
becomes more selfish. To move up in line, mankind chooses himself over his friends and
family. Mankind in individualism "forgets those who came before, and of those who come
after, no one has any idea." Man interests are only with those close to him. In a
democracy, class identities are more mixed; they aren't as prevelant as they were in
aristocracy, where there was a "class chain from the peasant to the king." Man achieves
what he wishes to achieve, not what his parents or forefathers achieved. Because mankind
can move up or down in society, there is a more mixed class chain. A child from a middle
class family is not bound to be a middle class person after he has achieved the education
he wants. If he chooses not to achieve an education, he is not required to. If he wishes
to go up in class, he can. He is not bound to one area because of the individualistic
nature of democracy. In a democracy, public and private interests must meet for them to
work; if they don't meet, then it won't work because of the individualistic nature of
man. The government's interests must benefit both him and the good of all to be
successful.