(https://s.privy.

com/IeN5d4o)

ucrietooureventandeulletin

September7,2012(/blog/philosophy/individualism-is-not-

log
email

atomism)

Individualismisnotatomism
(/blog/philosophy/individualism-isnot-atomism)

EmailAddress

SIGNUP

SamBowman(/blog/?author=56eddde5555986b05c737452)
Economics(/blog/?category=Economics),Philosophy
(/blog/?category=Philosophy)

ApostonConservativeHomethismorning

PostArchive

AuthorArchive

(http://conservativehome.blogs.com/the-deepend/2012/09/heresy-of-the-week-individualism-is-notconservative.html)wroteaboutthedifferencesbetween
individualismandconservatism:

BlogRSS

Whiletheconceptofpersonhoodiscentraltophilosophical

(https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/?

conservatism,soistheconnectednessofeachpersontootherpeople

format=rss)

withintheorganicinstitutionsoffamily,communityandnation,
eachofwhichofwhichstretchoutbeyondourselvesnotonlyin
space,butalsointimethroughthetraditionsthatsustainaliving
culture.
ThepostsparkedaninterestingdiscussiononTwitterabout

ThepostsparkedaninterestingdiscussiononTwitterabout
thedifferencesbetweenconservatismandlibertarianism.I
thinkthewriter'smainpointisthatsmall-cconservatism
placesalotofemphasisontraditionandcommunitycohesion
inawaythatlibertarianismdoesnot.Ithinkthewriteris
talkingaboutasortofatomism('menareislands')thatisrare
inmostlibertarianthought.[Note:Ihadthoughtthiswasa
TimMontgomeriepiece,butinfactit'sagroupblogthat's
writtenanonymously.I'vechangedthisposttoreflectthat
Sam]
AdamSmithmaynothavebeenalibertarianbymodern
standards,buthewasoneofthefirstgreatliberal
individualists,andhewascertainlynotaconservative.Yethis
workwasallaboutthepowerofcooperationandcompassion
tobetterthehumancondition.ThegreatachievementofThe
WealthofNationswastoshowtheproductivepowersof
individualsworkinginpeacefulcooperationwithoneanother,
specializingandtradingwithoneanothertobothpeoples
benefit.TheTheoryofMoralSentiments,similarly,emphasised
thesocialnatureofmoralityanddecency.Wearegood
becauseweseeourselvesinothers,andempathisewiththeir
plight.
Modernlibertarianwriterscarriedonthisemphasison
cooperation,mostnotablyLudwigvonMisesandFAHayek.
InHumanAction,Misesisclearthatalltheachievementsof
manthatwecallcivilizationhavebeentheresultofpeaceful
cooperationbetweenhumanbeings.Thefeelingsofsympathy
andfriendship(http://mises.org/humanaction/chap8sec1.asp)
andasenseofbelongingtogetherarethesourceofman's
mostdelightfulandmostsublimeexperiences.Theyarethe
mostpreciousadornmentoflife;theylifttheanimalspecies
mantotheheightsofareallyhumanexistence.
Misess(andmy)individualismliesinhisviewofindividual

Misess(andmy)individualismliesinhisviewofindividual
peopleasbeingthemostbasicunitofanalysisinhuman
affairsonlytheindividualacts
(http://mises.org/humanaction/chap8sec1.asp):
Theindividuallivesandactswithinsociety.Butsocietyisnothing
butthecombinationofindividualsforcooperativeeffort.Itexists
nowhereelsethanintheactionsofindividualmen.Itisa
delusiontosearchforitoutsidetheactionsofindividuals.To
speakofasociety'sautonomousandindependentexistence,ofits
life,itssoul,anditsactionsisametaphorwhichcaneasilyleadto
crasserrors.
Thequestionswhethersocietyortheindividualistobe
consideredastheultimateend,andwhethertheinterestsof
societyshouldbesubordinatedtothoseoftheindividualsor
theinterestsoftheindividualstothoseofsocietyarefruitless.
Actionisalwaysactionofindividualmen.
Thisdoesnotmeanthatthefabricwovenbyindividuals
actingtogetherisnotvaluable,butsimplythatwecannot
understandsocietyexceptastheproductofmanyindividuals
actingtogethertoachievetheirownends.Thoseendsmight
beselfishortheymightbealtruistic.
FAHayekisevenstrongerabouttheimportanceoftradition
andsocialcooperationinunderstandingsocietyand
individuals.ThelatterperiodofhislifeinworkssuchasThe
ConstitutionofLiberty,Law,LegislationandLibertyandThe
FatalConceitwasdevotedtostudyingtheimportanceof
traditioninsociety,andthepitfallsofarationalismthattries
tofixorimproveontraditionthataintbroke.
Hayek,again,wasanindividualistandfavouredlibertarianor
classicalliberalinstitutions.Heunderstoodthepowerand
importanceoftraditionasphenomenathatemergedasthe
resultofhumanaction,notofhumandesigninotherwords,

resultofhumanaction,notofhumandesigninotherwords,
asorganicinstitutionsthatholdpeopletogetherandestablish
verybondsoftrustandempathythatallowmarket
institutionstoflourish.Hayekwasanarch-skepticofgrand
planstoimprovethehumanrace.
AynRandscelebrationofselfishnessistheaberrationinthe
libertariantradition,nottherule.(Indeed,shedidntconsider
herselfalibertariananddidntlikepeoplewhodid.)
ThesortofatomismthatConHome'swriterisrejectingis,I
think,quitedifferenttothesortofindividualismthatIand
manyotherlibertariansadhereto,andisveryrare.Eventhe
mostgrislycaricatureofaselfishlibertarianwouldhaveto
admitthatshecouldonlygetrichbytradingwithothers.
Thecoreoflibertarianismisthebeliefthatpeoplecanonly
prosperbycooperatingpeacefullywitheachother,socially,
economicallyandspiritually.Individualism,yestheinterests
ofindividualhumansshouldalwaysbeourultimateconcern.
Butatomism,theideathatmenareislands?No.

0Likes

Share

Comments(1)

OldestFirst Subscribeviae-mail

Preview

Mike

POTCOMMNT

Mike

Ayearago

Itseemsthe"cooperatingpeacefully"part(above)isthe
partthatliberalprogressivesarecontrivingtodesign
aneworchange,inordertofixmanyofsociety'sills.
Individualsacting,sure,incooperationisgood,but
towardwhatend?Thusensuestheendless(and
seeminglyfruitless)right/leftpoliticaldebatesonpolicy.
Isitreallyenoughtoleaveindividualsalonetotheir
devices(orconceits);don'tweneed,asasociety,top
down,toproscribetherightends?

NewerPost
WhyMarginalRevolution

OlderPost
Franceprovidesalessonin

Universitywon'twork

hownottocutadeficit

(/blog/education/why-

(/blog/tax-spending/france-

marginal-revolutionuniversity-won-t-work)

provides-a-lesson-in-hownot-to-cut-a-deficit)

C O N TAC T U ( / C O N TAC T - U / )

A D A M M I T H I N T I T U T , 2 3 G R AT M I T H T R T, L O N D O N W 1 P 3 D J , U N I T D
KINGDOM

0 2 072 2 24 9 9 5

I N F O @ A D A M M I T H . O R G ( M A I LTO : I N F O @ A D A M M I T H . O R G )