A Study on American Individualism美国个人主义 英文论文Word文档下载推荐.docx
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A Study on American Individualism美国个人主义 英文论文Word文档下载推荐.docx
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Individualismsuppliedthenationwitharationalizationofitscharacteristicattitudes,behaviorpatternsandaspirations.Itendowedthepast,thepresentandthefuturewiththeperspectiveofunityandprogress.Itexplainedthepeculiarsocialandpoliticalorganizationofthenation—unityinspiteofheterogeneityanditpointedtowardanidealsocialorganizationinharmonywithAmericanexperience.Aboveall,individualismexpressedastheuniversalismandidealismmostcharacteristicofthenationalconsciousness.Thisconceptevolvedincontradistinctiontosocialism,theuniversalandmessianiccharacterofwhichitshared.Individualism,theloveofenterprise,andtheprideinpersonalfreedomhavebeendeemedbyAmericansnotonlytheirchoicest,buttheirpeculiarandexclusivepossession.Individualism,theloveofenterprise,andtheprideinpersonalfreedomhavebeendeemedbyAmericansnotonlytheirchoicest,buttheirpeculiarandexclusivepossession.
Individualismisperhapstheprimaryconceptthat,transcendingsuchcategoriesasrace,gender,class,ageandregion,unitesAmericansacrosstimeandspacetogivecoherencetothenationalexperience.Fromtheearliestbeginningsoftherepublictothepost-modernistpresent,therightsoftheindividualcitizenandhisorherplaceintheschemeofthingshasbeenofprimaryimportancetoAmericanphilosophers,artists,politicaltheorists,theologiansandothersconcernedwitharticulatingnationalvaluesandprinciples.Communitarianideasrisefromtimetotimetochallengeindividualism,butnonehaveyetbeensuccessfulinseriouslyweakeningitsholdonAmericanculture.IncorporatedintoAmerican"
common-sensethinking,"
thephilosophyofindividualismbecomesinthepopularmindtheveryessenceofwhatbeinganAmericanmeans.InthiscoursewewillexaminewithacriticaleyethephilosophicalbasisandsocialconsequencesoftheprimacyoftheindividualinAmericanintellectual,legal,andpoliticaltraditions.
Therearefivepartsofthispaper.Thefirstpartisthebriefintroductionofthepaper,mainlyintroducetheimportantpositionofAmericanIndividualisminAmerican.ThesecondpartsummarizetheIndividualism,includingorigin,development,evolvementandthedevelopmentfundemental.Thethirdpartisthemostvitalone,inthischapter,thispapertalkabouttheperformanceofAmericanIndividualisminvariousareas.ThefourthpartistheevaluationofIndividualismandtheconclusionofthewholepaper.
IIOntheTerm——AmericanIndividualism
2.1ConceptoftheIndividualism
Beliefintheprimaryimportanceoftheindividualandinthevirtuesofself-relianceandpersonalindependence.Individualismisthemoralstance,politicalphilosophy,ideology,orsocialoutlookthatstresses"
themoralworthoftheindividual"
.Individualistspromotetheexerciseofone'
sgoalsanddesiresandsoindependenceandself-reliancewhileopposingmostexternalinterferenceuponone'
sowninterests,whetherbysociety,oranyothergrouporinstitution.
Individualismmakestheindividualitsfocusandsoitstarts"
withthefundamentalpremisethatthehumanindividualisofprimaryimportanceinthestruggleforliberation."
Naturalrightsandfreedomarethesubstanceofthesetheories.Classicalliberalism(includinglibertarianism),existentialismandindividualistanarchismareexamplesofmovementsthattakethehumanindividualasacentralunitofanalysis.
Ithasalsobeenusedasatermdenoting"
Thequalityofbeinganindividual;
individuality"
relatedtopossessing"
Anindividualcharacteristic;
aquirk."
Individualismisthusalsoassociatedwithartisticandbohemianinterestsandlifestyleswherethereisatendencytowardsselfcreationandexperimentationasopposedtotraditionorpopularmassopinionsandbehaviorsassoalsowithhumanistphilosophicalpositionsandethics.
Individualismencompassesavaluesystem,atheoryofhumannature,andabeliefincertainpolitical,economic,social,andreligiousarrangements.Accordingtotheindividualist,allvaluesarehuman-centred,theindividualisofsupremeimportance,andallindividualsaremorallyequal.Individualismplacesgreatvalueonself-reliance,onprivacy,andonmutualrespect.Negatively,itembracesoppositiontoauthorityandtoallmannerofcontrolsovertheindividual,especiallywhenexercisedbythestate.Asatheoryofhumannature,individualismholdsthattheinterestsofthenormaladultarebestservedbyallowinghimmaximumfreedomandresponsibilityforchoosinghisobjectivesandthemeansforobtainingthem.Theinstitutionalembodimentofindividualismfollowsfromtheseprinciples.
2.1.1TheMisconceptionofIndividualism
Isolation
Thefirstmisconceptionisthatindividualismmeansisolation---beingalone,beingoutsidesociety.Thismisconceptionisreflectedinthepopularimagesof“individualism”,imagesthatstressbeingisolated,suchasthoseofthelonecowboy,thefearlessgumshoe,andtheisolatedprairiefamily.Suchimagescanbeexcitingandheroic,butisolationisnottheessenceofindividualism.
Infact,theconceptofindividualismdoesnotmakesenseintheabsenceofotherhumanbeings.Individualismiscalled“individualism”notbecauseitexhortstheindividualtoseekalifeapartfromothers,butbecauseitassertsthattheindividual,andnotthegroup,istheprimaryconstituentofsociety.Thebeliefthatindividualismmeansbeingaloneleadspeopletosaythatindividualismisincompatiblewithcooperation.Ifoneistoomuchofan“individualist”,peoplesay,onecannot“getalongwithgroups”,oneisnotagood“teamplayer”.Actually,apersonwhodoesn'
tlistentoothers,thepersonwhowouldratherdothingsaninefficientwayaslongasit'
s“myway”,isnotbeingan“individualist”---he'
sbeingclosedminded.Atrueindividualistwantsthebestforhimself,soheseeksoutthebest,nomaterwhoisthesource.Totheindividualist,thetruthismoreimportantthananyauthority,includinghimself.Livinginsociety,cooperatingwithotherpeople---thesearetremendousbenefits.Individualismdoesnotdenythis.Butnotallarrangementsoflivingandworkingwithothermenarebeneficialtotheindividual;
thearrangementfacedbyAmericanslavesisoneexample.Individualismisatheoryoftheconditionsunderwhichlivingandworkingwithothersis,infact,beneficial.
Balance
Anotherwidespreadmisconceptionaboutindividualismisthatitcansomehowbemixedwithortemperedbycollectivism.Inthisview,neither“extreme”individualismnor“extreme”collectivismarecorrect.Rather,wisdomandtruthliesomewhereinthemiddle.Individualismandcollectivismarecontradictorypositions---thereisnomiddlegroundbetweenthem.Collectivismmaintainsthatthegroupisanentityinitsownright,athingthatcanactuponpeople.Individualismdeniesthis.Collectivismseesusbeinginfluencedbythegroup;
individualismseesusbeinginfluencedbyotherindividuals.Collectivismseesuscooperatingwiththeteam;
individualism,withotherpeople.Collectivismseesusbuildingontheideasandachievementsofsociety;
individualism,ontheideasandachievementsofindividuals.Thesearecontradictorypositions;
it'
seither-or.Toacceptthe“balance”pointofviewistoacceptcollectivism.Nocollectivisthaseversaidthateverysingleneedofeveryindividualmustbefrustratedforthesakeofthesociety---ifso,therewouldn'
tbeanysocietylefttoserve.Collectivismisthebalancepointofview;
itisamatteroffine-tuninghereandthere,constrainingindividualswhentheirinterestsgetoutoflinewiththe“goodofsociety”.Indeed,themaindebatebetweenthe“left”andthe“right”todayisnotadebateovercollectivismandindividualism---itsadebateovertwoformsofcollectivism.The“left”holdsthattheneedsofsocietylieinthematerialisticrealm,sotheyareintoregulatingthataspectofindividualaffairs.The“right”holdsthattheneedsofsocietylieinthespiritualrealm,sotheyareintoregulatingthespiritualaspectofindividualaffairs.
2.1.2TheConceptionofAmericanIndividualism
TheembodimentofAmericanIndividualismcanbedepictedinfouraspects,fromwhichweputemphasisonthereofthem.
Self-reliance
OneofthemostattractivecharactersofmostAmericanpeopleistheirself-reliance,whichisgenerallyconsideredasthebasicofindividualfreedom,anotheressentialcharacterofindividualismofAmerica.ChildrenintheUnitedStates,aslongastheyare18-yearold,havetoearntheirdailybreadbythemselves,whileseniorcitizensarealsoquiteusedtolivingaloneinsteadofsharingthesameceilingwiththeirchildren.Nowonderthatwemayhearpeoplealwayssay‘Thanks,butIcanmanageitthroughoutthecountryintheAmerica.
IndividualFreedom
MuchunliketheEuropeans’thoughtson‘free
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