Sunday, May 17, 2020

Democracy Individualism Essay example - 3518 Words

Democracy Individualism There is growing consensus in the United States of the potential collapse of democracy, and many scholars question whether America will be able to address the challenges necessary to avert it. At the heart of the issue is the disintegration of civil society. In a remarkable book on the subject – Democracy on Trial – Jean Elshtain (1995: 5) notes, â€Å"As a civic question – and it is by no means a civic matter alone – the locus of despair speaks to the loss of civil society. This deepening emptiness, and kind of evacuation of civic spaces, lies in the background of our current discontents, helping to explain why democracy is going through an ordeal of self-understanding as we near the end of the twentieth†¦show more content†¦In fact it is possible to have both negative and positive developments of individualism, a better understanding of which can be seen by an analysis of individual needs and individual reactions to environmental stimuli. Su ch an analysis may lend to a better understanding of not only how â€Å"negative individualism† develops in the U.S., but appropriate means by which these negative developments of individualism can be avoided in the future without loss of unique American individualism that stands as a forefront of American success and prosperity. Such an analysis, however, must consider both the individual as a unique human being, with individual wants, desires, and needs, as well as the individual responding to environmental queues which affect their behavior by providing either impetus for, or roadblocks to, their needs and desires. Civil society begins to atrophy when collective behavior is the result of a sufficient number of individuals who feel that collective ends are thwarting their own individual needs, resulting in further exaggeration of negative individualism in an effort to regain a balance, perceived or otherwise, between individual and societal needs. The qualitative method utilized in this effort attempts to unravel the disintegration of civil society in consideration of an analysis of the unique balance between individual needs and individuals responding to their environmental. Rapid and advancedShow MoreRelatedDemocracy And Individualism : A Nation Of A Homogenous Type Of Society1241 Words   |  5 PagesDemocracy and Individualism In the 1800’s, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and many others had visions for America that involved a nation of a homogenous type of society. It was believed in order to create a better nation that people other than the European Americans needed to be eradicated. In these beliefs, these men affected the America nation through their trials and tribulations, which help guide society into what it is today. Thomas Jefferson was a man who viewed white as beautiful. InRead MoreAn Exploration of Individualism as Described by Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America1312 Words   |  6 PagesAn Exploration of Individualism As Described By Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy In America The classic work Democracy In America by Alexis de Tocqueville has been the reason for scholarly pursuit as well as strife within that same community. Through a brief examination of this text, several of Tocqueville’s arguments helped to define many of the constructs that made America what it was as well as those that have led to what it has become today. Of the many themes and ideas presentedRead MoreAmerican Political Culture And Its Representation Of Democracy, Equality, Individualism, And Liberty1485 Words   |  6 PagesWORDS APURBA CHAKRABORTY American political culture is altogether vast and diversified; however, it retains one singular feature – it is a contradiction. 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People in the past experienced dramatic elevation of material comfort and developmentRead MoreTocqueville s Views On The And Materialistic Quality America1395 Words   |  6 Pagesencounter a citizen in America so poor that he did not cast a glance of hope and longing on the enjoyments of the rich and whose imagination was not seized in advance by the goods that fate was obstinately refusing him.1† This particular quote, from Democracy in America, speaks in regard to every American. Personally I believe that this quote does define what an, â€Å"American,† is. We as a society do not give up, that is how the revolution began and it leads to one of the most powerful nations today. AmericaRead MoreEssay on American Culture: Individualism1091 Words   |  5 P agesHollywood and Disney World. Underneath the layers of TV advertising and hyper-consumerism, there is a cultural DNA that makes America what it is. 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