Collectivism

Collectivism is a kind of ethics based on people being a group. Its opposite is individualism which is based on people being individuals.^[1] Collectivists focus on what's good for a whole group. Individualists focus on what's good for each person. Collectivism and individualism are philosophical positions and are also part of politics.

The word "individualism" was originally used by socialists to attack their enemies. They said that individualists were selfish for not supporting socialism.^[2] Instead, individualists support people being independent and chasing their own goals. They also believe in having lots of freedoms.^[3]

Collectivists believe that one person is not as important as a group of many people. They often believe people should compromise to make things better for each other instead of just themselves.^[4] They also think that letting someone do whatever they want is not good if it hurts lots of other people. Collectivism has many different types. It can mean serving your community, your government, your social class, your race, or some other group.^[4]

1. ↑ "individualism | Definition, History, Philosophy, Examples, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
2. ↑ Claeys, Gregory (1986). "'Individualism,' 'Socialism,' and 'Social Science': Further Notes on a Process of Conceptual Formation, 1800–1850". Journal of the History of Ideas. 47 (1). University of Pennsylvania Press: 81–93. doi:10.2307/2709596. JSTOR 2709596.
3. ↑ "individualism". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2016 – via TheFreeDictionary.com.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "collectivism". Encyclopædia Britannica. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)