The Problem of Individualism in Modern Society - Coursework Example

The individual in society Student’s Name Subject Professor University/Institution Location Date The individual in society Introduction Capitalism is an economic structure which is founded on private tenure of production means as well as the manufacture of products and services for earning profit by private business establishments. Capitalism in the society results in a culture which focuses and prioritizes search for short-term personal interests and financial gain (Zingales 2009, p.13). Individualism is a theory which maintains the economic and political autonomy of a person and emphasizes on individual action, initiative and interests. Collectivism is the suppression of a person to the society as a whole. It stresses that; a person should be attached to a joint thought and action for the benefit of the entire society (McFeeters 2003, p.11). A modern Capitalist society should be organised according to individualist values to a small extend. This paper will support this position with reference to four societal aspects which are economic activities, property ownership, interaction style and knowledge transmission and acquisition. Economic activities According to Zingales (2009, p.13) capitalists believe in an economy where the government has little or no control in the markets. Capitalism advocates for the ownership of production factors like capital, land and labour by a certain group of individuals in the society either personally, jointly or through a government establishment which serves personal interests of the owners of capital. Capitalism has contributed to the increasing inequalities between the rich and the poor in the modern society. Macpherson claims that, in individualistic society, every person is allowed independence while making economic decisions in opposition to the decisions that are made by the government, a corporation or the community (Macpherson 2004, p.234). In terms of economy, the view of the capitalists is similar to that of individualists. From this perspective, there is no much difference between capitalism and individualism and thus organization of capitalist society in terms of individualist economic values is not necessary. An example of capitalism in Australia is a recent consumption tax reform which applies to the purchase of goods. The supermarkets and manufacturing companies are owned by rich people and thus this reform benefits the rich while it is a disadvantage to low income families. About 50 % of the income of poor families goes to food related expenditures. In this case, opinions of all members of the society should be involved in order to ensure that reforms benefits every citizen not just few people (Macpherson 2004, p.235). Property ownership Rosén (2012, p.22) maintains that, individualists usually stress that land, ideas and objects are possessed by people who give permission to other people to use the property or receive compensation after the use of the property. According to Scott (2011, p.191) the operational state safeguard of property privileges in an official system where transactions and ownership are recorded clearly is one of the main features of capitalism. However, these properties are owned only by a small number of people in the society who are free to convert their physical assets into capital. The gotten capital is used by the capitalists in various ways not for the benefit of all the people in the society but for their individual good. Every little thing which adds to a country’s economy is realized by those who own property and the ownership is intense among the hands of only a comparative few. Based on property ownership, the modern capitalist society has nothing to borrow from individualists because the two society types both revolve around personal interests. For instance, in the United States, wealth trickles up rather than trickling down the social ladder. In 2001, affluent Americans which represented only 1 per cent of the total population of the country owned about 33 per cent of the country’s wealth. The last half of the population which represented low income families possessed less than 3 per cent of United States’ wealth (Scott 2011, p.191). Interaction style Oskamp (2000, p.217) says that, every culture gives its own principles on how individuals should interact with one another. Misunderstandings are likely to rise when individuals from diverse cultures interrelate. The common tendencies that are prevalent in individualistic societies are, raising issues or topics openly, free expression of personal views as well as asking individual questions even to strangers. A person has the freedom to interact with any person of their choice regardless of gender, social class or culture. Capitalism is built around social class differences with capitalists being high class people while other people like the working class and providers of labour being low class people. The differences are based on individuals’ financial and economic status. Capitalists do not interact with low class people. In capitalist societies, there are schools, hospitals and eating joints that are made for rich people who can afford them since they charge high prices to keep off low class people. From this view, the modern capitalist society should adopt the individualism view of interaction. In the current world, even the rich need the poor for them to survive (Hamilton 2003, p.131). Knowledge transmission and acquisition According to McFeeters (2003, p. 11) individualistic cultures calls for freedom for every individual in choosing the kind of knowledge or skills that they want to acquire. Normally, parents play a key role in the choice of career of their children by suggesting what they should study in school. However, individualism opposes this and asserts that, children should be allowed to form and state their views on a number of life aspects like profession and education. They should also determine the pace at which they search for knowledge. A crucial individualistic value is free availability of knowledge to any person who needs it. Drawing from Burton-Jones (2001, p.169) modern capitalist societies are unjust, cruel, unequal and conflicting. The economic background of the society greatly influences the society’s superstructure which consists of political systems, education systems, the family and the media. The education system is one of numerous ideological government apparatuses that through the socialization procedure pass on not a group of broadly shared values and norms that benefit everybody in the society, but governing class ideas which assist to guard the rights of the capitalists to the detriment of the middle and low class people. For instance, the arrangement of schools in the United States corresponds in numerous compliments to those in the capitalist industry. They help to train students to enter the capitalist system. The schools are founded on hierarchal values of control and authority such that tutors give commands which students should obey. Students have little influence on the school program. Moreover, knowledge is patchy and students do not have a chance for self-achievement in their studies. This prepares mainly pupils from poor backgrounds, for jobs which are also hierarchically managed, alienating, fragmented and lack intrinsic satisfaction (Burton-Jones 2001, p.169). The contemporary capitalist society ought to be organized around the individualistic idea of autonomy in transmission of knowledge and free access to knowledge for every person in the society. Conclusion Capitalism involves ownership of property by few individuals in the society. Individualism emphasize on personal freedom especially in making social, economic and political decisions. Collectivism is about teamwork in every undertaking. The government has little control on the economy of capitalist society. Individualists call for freedom in economic decisions. Both capitalism and individualism maintain that, property should be owned by individuals who then should have the right of use. Individualism advocates for people to have free access to and choice of knowledge. Capitalist schools dictate what students should learn. Individualists have freedom of interaction and expression while capitalists despise people of low class. List of references Burton-Jones, A 2001, Knowledge capitalism:business, work, and learning in the new econom, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hamilton, P 2003, Max Weber:Critical Assessment, New York, Routledge. Macpherson, C 2004, The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism , Oxford, Clarendon Press. McFeeters, FE 2003, The Effects of Individualism Vs. Collectivism on Learner’s Recall, Transfer and Attitudes Toward Collaboration and Individualized Learning, Blacksburg,Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Oskamp, S 2000, Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination, New York, Routledge. Rosén, J 2012, Individualism and collectiveness in intellectual property law, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar. Scott, BR 2011, Capitalism : its origins and evolution as a system of governance, New York,Springer. Zingales, L 2009, Capitalism After the Crisis, National Affairs , 5 (1), 12-21. Read More