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The Philosophy of Collectivism vs the Philosophy of Individualism

Debate Information

I personally believe in the belief of collectivism and I wish for a civilized debate on the Philosophy of both and why you believe one works better than the other. I look forward to using my collectivist beliefs to counter any individualist ones. 
joecavalrycomey_testifyaarong
  1. Live Poll

    Collectivism or Individualism

    10 votes
    1. Collectivism
      40.00%
    2. Individualism
      60.00%



Debra AI Prediction

Predicted To Win
Predicted 2nd Place
11%
Margin

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    Arguments


  • joecavalryjoecavalry 430 Pts   -  
    I believe that individualism is a better method.  Individualism May cut down on the gross and net costs for people, instead of increasing the costs of there was collectivism.
    moralityisaspook
    DebateIslander and a DebateIsland.com lover. 
  • comey_testifycomey_testify 54 Pts   -  
    I believe that Individualism is better than Collectivism. This is due to the Independence Individualism gives you and reduces the power of States and the federal Government.
  • MissDMeanorMissDMeanor 100 Pts   -  
    Collectivism is immoral, there is no reason to believe everyone in the same group needs the same thing, or feels the same way. From collectivism stems group blame, and from that stems group victimhood. Just because you are black does not mean you are oppressed and you need help, just because you are gay does not mean you are also oppressed. Different individuals have different needs, yes some blacks and gays are oppressed, but not all of them. You can't just split everyone into different groups and give each group something, again every individual needs something else.
  • FascismFascism 344 Pts   -  
    Both individualism and collectivism are important. 

    "Truth is not to be found either in traditional capitalism or in Marxism. Historically, capitalism failed to discern the truth in collective enterprise and Marxism failed to see the truth in individual enterprise."
     - Martin Luther King Jr. 

    If I had to choose one over the other, I would most definitely choose collectivism. Collectivism is more important than individualism. One individual is weak, but group of individuals working towards the same common goal is powerful. 
  • Oswald_MosleyOswald_Mosley 108 Pts   -  
    @MissDMeanor Collectivism believes the human system should work like a body. That a group of people should operate as a body. Just as an organ works individuals do have individual problems but collectivism values the group over the individual person. The individual needs to put apart their problems in order to create a more productive and a more collective society. Individualists only cater to the exact person. I also point @Fascism for his well established argument. The individual can only slow down the process and like a well oiled machine certain parts must be catered to. One part of a machine is not going to do much. The whole machine can make man go to the moon. 
    FascismMissDMeanorErfisflat
  • FascismFascism 344 Pts   -  
    @MissDMeanor That is not the type collectivism he means to address. He means to address the benefits of cooperation in the economy. 
    MissDMeanor
  • MissDMeanorMissDMeanor 100 Pts   -  
    Mb, Anyways even in the economic frame I am still for Individualism.

    As @Fascism has said both are important, but Individualism is more important, there is a reason that the top 1% of people hold more wealth than the bottom 90%, great men fuel the economy. Take for example the case of when Steve Jobs got fired after a power struggle. He was rehired after Apple realized they had no drive. I would like to expand on the machine analogy being used here: you can have the entire car, but it is useless without the engine. Without the working class the economy would be nowhere, but the individual is more important. The individual turned a small loan of a million dollars into billions, the individual started a technology company is a basement. The individual will go somewhere very slowly, the collective group will go nowhere quickly. 
    Fascism
  • Oswald_MosleyOswald_Mosley 108 Pts   -  
    @MissDMeanor Why have individualism. I understand the struggle of the working man. That's why collectivism is important. It takes the strength of one worker and multiplies it with others inside of the collectivist state.
  • MissDMeanorMissDMeanor 100 Pts   -  
    @Oswald_Mosley
    Again, you can have as many workers as you want, but without great individuals, they go nowhere. I recommend you read my post first.
  • FascismFascism 344 Pts   -  
    @MissDMeanor

    The problem is that many individuals are getting neglected. Individualism helps individuals do whatever they want, but through collectivism, a society can recognize a talented individual and help him rise up. 

    In the Civil Rights movement, many black societies got together, and the successful black people gave support to the less successful so that they can show their own skills. This helped them all rise up together instead of only a few black people on the top. 

    The top one percent is composed of smart individuals, but there are more smart individuals than only one percent in the entire US. Collectivism will help the unlucky, but talented people rise up again. The top one percent has 40% of the nations wealth. I'm sure they can spare at least a little bit of their money to help other smart people. 
    Erfisflat
  • MayCaesarMayCaesar 5965 Pts   -  
    Collectivism by its nature is extremely totalitarian. When your freedoms and success are defined by the society allowing or not allowing certain courses of action, you become a hostage of that society. The society also has incredible power over its members, and a large extent of power is very likely to lead to abuse of power, to usurpation of power, to creation of the elite class controlling everyone else. But even in the absence of such a scenario, living in a collectivist society is not pleasant, and you never know how the society will treat you tomorrow. You never have any permanent freedom assurances, you are not free to pursue your personal dreams with no regard to the societal opinion, and you always feel strangled by the society as soon as you disagree with one of its dominant viewpoints.

    Individualism does have its downsides, such as the neglect of those desperately needing help, or the ability for one person to exploit others for personal gain. However, it gives individuals the most important elements of any society, the fabric of societal evolution and happiness: freedom and liberty. If I want to try a new business idea, or to assume a new hobby, or to work on developing complicated technology, or to travel around the world - I am free to do so, and I do not need the approval from the society, as long as my actions do not directly harm other individuals. Those who have never been deprived of these freedom do not always realize how valuable it is - but we, who have lived in collectivist societies, tend to prefer this freedom over anything collectivism can possibly offer to us. It is like breathing fresh air after living in a dank cave your entire life.

    In practice, both collectivism and individualism play a vital role in any society. Absence of any degree of collectivism means anarchy, which naturally leads to the power vacuum being filled and to collectivism appearing. Absence of any degree of individualism, on the other hand, leads to the society of slaves that do not have any freedoms and in which the collective good completely trumps any value of the individual life.

    I prefer a high degree of individualism, but not the anarchy. As an extreme libertarian, I want maybe a 95%-individualist and 5%-collectivist system. I do realize that in such a system the social security will not be very high - but I would prefer having a freedom to pull myself out of a difficult situation by my own actions, over having all of my freedoms strangled and suppressed for the sake of the questionable material assistance from the government.
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