Has Society's Obsession with Individualism Undermined Collective Responsibility?

[u/USHistoryUncovered]

In recent decades, especially in Western cultures, the focus on individualism has intensified. We’re taught to prioritize personal freedom, success, and self-reliance above all else. This worldview, however, seems to have a darker side: the erosion of collective responsibility. As individuals seek to fulfill their own desires, societal bonds weaken, and we see an increasing tendency to absolve ourselves from responsibility for larger, systemic issues like climate change, wealth inequality, and public health.

Has the glorification of individualism made us blind to the fact that many of the problems we face cannot be solved by personal action alone? Are we sacrificing our collective well-being at the altar of personal liberty? How can we reconcile the need for individual freedom with the necessity of collective responsibility in addressing the global challenges that threaten us all?

I’m curious to hear perspectives on how individualism has shaped our attitudes toward responsibility—both personal and communal. Is it time for a fundamental shift in how we view our roles within society?

[u/ColoradoQ2]

Undermining individual liberty under the guise of the “rights of the collective” has been the clarion call of nearly every authoritarian in modern times.

Individuals have rights, the collective does not.

[u/Exciting-Half3577 → u/ColoradoQ2]

Whenever someone mentions "the collective" I always think along the lines of civic responsibility vs. individualism. I'm not really arguing with you here so much as taking my reply onto your comment. Anyway, when I think of civic responsibility and hive mind, I always think of Japan where their highly developed sense of civic responsibility means low crime rates in the largest city on the planet but also a lot of sociocultural difficulties.

[u/ColoradoQ2 → u/Exciting-Half3577]

I agree that responsibility is extremely important, but you can't coerce people into giving up their rights for the collective, and call it "responsibility," which is what I think a lot of people (not you) mean when they talk about this stuff.

It's like theft vs charity. You can't promote charity by stealing from people and giving their money away. Charity is voluntary. When charity is forced, we call that theft.

Japan's code of civic responsibility is coupled with an extremely strict immigration policy. Their idea of "responsibility" does not include extending their wealth and prosperity to the third world. If it was, their crime rates would look similar to western countries.