Every Man for Himself: How the Ethos of Individualism Sucked the Soul out of America

One of the defining characteristics of American mythology is that of the rugged individual.

Individualism — the idea that the human individual possesses dignity and worth above and beyond communal, political, or religious priorities — had its modern roots in 18th and 19th century Europe, with philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke ascribing to individuals a natural liberty.

These concepts were enthusiastically adopted by America’s founding fathers, who explicitly stated in the Declaration of Independence that individuals have “inalienable rights” including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Alexis de Tocqueville, the French diplomat and political scientist, expressed both admiration and concern for American democracy and its individualistic focus in his 1835 Democracy in America. Generally, Tocqueville saw democracy as an system that balanced freedom of the individual with concern for the community, but he also expressed concern that untrammeled individualism could result in a type of egoism that results in an isolation from community. He wrote:

Egoism springs from a blind instinct; individualism from wrong-headed thinking rather than from depraved feelings. It originates as much from defects of…