| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Noun Plural | 1. Plural inflection of the noun individualist.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Noun Base (individualist) | 1. A person who pursues independent thought or action.[Wordnet]. 2. Signifies an entity that individualises, based on the verb individualise.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
Sources: compiled from various sources, (under license) copyright 2008. | Top | |
Date "INDIVIDUALISTS" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1885. (references) |
Common Expressions: individualist
| Expressions | Definition | ||
| American individualist anarchism | Individualist anarchism, while being advocated among some European philosophers in various forms, has a distinctive flavor in The United States of America. American individualist anarchism maintains strong opposition to capitalist and collectivist-based philosophies of anarchism and equally strong advocacy of certain forms of private property and a competitive free market economy. For this reason, it is sometimes called market anarchism. Individualist anarchism is sometimes regarded as a form of "liberal-anarchism" by those who see it is a radicalized version of classical liberalism ([http://www.weisbord.org/conquest10.htm American Liberal-Anarchism]). The most famous individualist anarchist, Benjamin Tucker refers to his philosophy as "unterrified Jeffersonianism." The individualists adhere to a labor theory of value and therefore find profit in trade to be exploitation that is made possible by coercive "monopolies" which reduce competition, often backed by the government. Despite the rejection of capitalism by prominent individualists, some anarcho-capitalists who adopt the subjective theory of value have no such opposition to profit and claim to be modern individualist anarchists. Some anarcho-capitalists, such as Wendy McElroy, refer to themselves simply as "individualist anarchists." However, the term is usually used in reference to the classical individualists and its use by anarcho-capitalists is highly contentious. Most of the radical American individualists oppose the initiation of coercion and fraud, believing that force should be reserved for defense. (references) | ||
| Collectivist and individualist cultures | Cultures are typically divided into two categories: collectivist and individualist. Individualist cultures, such as those of the United States and Western Europe, emphasize personal achievement at the expense of group goals, resulting in a strong sense of competition. Collectivist cultures, such as those of China, Korea, and Japan, emphasize family and work group goals. (references) | ||
| Individualist anarchism and anarcho-capitalism | Individualists agree with collectivist anarchists in holding that the only just source of property is the produce of labor. Anarcho-capitalists disagree with both groups, believing that property can be legitimately amassed without labor. Individualists like Lysander Spooner argued that workers could maintain the product of their labor through universal self-employment. Anarcho-capitalists neither advocate nor expect universal self-employment. While individualists regard self-employment as a way to outcompete and erode the profit-making capitalist system, anarcho-capitalists see it as an option for an individual to make more money within the capitalist system, hence perpetuating it. While individualists anarchists regard profit deducted from pay as exploitative, they do not advocate interfering with individuals contracting as employee and employer if they desire, though they argue that in a free economy no one would rationally accept any unjust economic relationships that included profit taking. (references) | ||
| Individualist feminism | Individualist feminism is a blanket term for different forms of individualist feminist ideas. This take on feminism was originally expressed in anti-capitalist publications such as Liberty, and by individualists highly critical of capitalism such as Voltairine de Cleyre and Ezra Heywood. However, today it is often associated with a minarchist or even anarcho-capitalist perspective, due in large part to the prominent advocacy of Wendy McElroy. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
