Collectivism
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- For the descriptive terminology as used in anthropology and psychology, see Collectivist and individualist cultures. For the anarchist political philosophy known as "collectivism", see collectivist anarchism. For the magazine, see Collectivism (magazine).
Collectivism is a term used to describe any moral, political, or social outlook, that stresses human interdependence and the importance of a collective, rather than the importance of separate individuals. Collectivists focus on community and society, and seek to give priority to group goals over individual goals.[1] The philosophical underpinnings of collectivism are often related to holism or organicism - the view that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Specifically, a society as a whole can be seen as having more meaning or value than the separate individuals that make up that society. [2]
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[edit] Politics
Some consider an early example of collectivist political philosophy to be Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Social Contract, which maintains that human society is organized along the lines of an implicit contract between members of society, and that the terms of this contract (e.g. the powers of government, the rights and responsibilities of individual citizens, etc.) are rightfully decided by the "general will" - that is, the will of the people. This idea is part of the philosophical foundation of democracy.
However, this interpretation of political collectivism as democracy is not universally agreed upon. For instance, George Orwell defined collectivism as a philosophy that empowered a minority of individuals:
"It cannot be said too often - at any rate, it is not being said nearly often enough - that collectivism is not inherently democratic, but, on the contrary, gives to a tyrannical minority such powers as the Spanish Inquisitors never dreamt of."[3]
In 2006, Seattle Public Schools issued a definition of racism on its Web site which stated that favoring individualism over "more collective" ideologies was an example of racism because it favors "white culture" over viewpoints indigenous to other groups. After much criticism, they removed this and other controversial statements from their site.[1]
[edit] Economics
Generally speaking, collectivism in the field of economics holds that some things should be owned by the group and used for the benefit of all rather than being owned by individuals. Central to this view is the concept of the commons, as opposed to private property. Some collectivists apply this principle only to the means of production, while others argue that all valued commodities should be regarded as public goods and placed under public ownership.
Collectivism in economics may or may not involve a state as a manager and steward of collective property. For instance, anarcho-communists, who argue for the immediate abolition of government, wish to place all goods under collective ownership. In 1876, at the Florence Conference of the Italian Federation of the International, where the principles of anarcho-communism were first laid out, it was stated:
"The Italian Federation considers the collective property of the products of labour as the necessary complement to the collectivist programme, the aid of all for the satisfaction of the needs of each being the only rule of production and consumption which corresponds to the principle of solidarity."
[edit] Typology
Collectivism can be divided into "horizontal collectivism", wherein equality is emphasized and people engage in sharing and cooperation, and "vertical collectivism", wherein hierarchy is emphasized and people submit to authorities to the point of self-sacrifice.[4] Horizontal collectivism is based on the assumption that each individual is more or less like every other individual, while vertical collectivism assumes that individuals are fundamentally different from each other.[5] Therefore, horizontal collectivists tend to favour democratic decision-making, while vertical collectivists believe in a strict chain of command. Horizontal collectivism stresses common goals, interdependence and sociability. Vertical collectivism stresses the integrity of the in-group (e.g. the family or the nation), expects individuals to sacrifice themselves for the in-group if necessary, and promotes competition between different in-groups.[5] Harry Triandis and Michele Gelfand argue that horizontal collectivist societies are those based on communal living, such as Israeli kibbutzim, while vertical collectivist societies are for example fascist countries or traditional communities with strong patriarchal leaders; vertical collectivism also closely correlates with right-wing authoritarianism.[5]
[edit] Collectivist societies
There are many examples of societies around the world which have characterized themselves or have been characterized by outsiders as "collectivist".
On the one hand, there are the Communist states, which have often collectivized most economic sectors (and agriculture in particular). On the other hand, there are Israeli kibbutzim (voluntary communes where people live and farm together without private ownership), and communities such as the Freetown Christiania in Denmark (a small anarchist political experiment centered around an abandoned military installation in Copenhagen; Christiania has laws abolishing private property).
Democracy, with its emphasis on notions of social contract and the collective will of the people, has been characterized by some as a form of (political) collectivism.
[edit] Anti-collectivism
The term collectivism tends to be used more by people who oppose collectivist ideas than by those who support them. As such, "collectivism" often carries pejorative connotations.
Opposition to collectivism comes from those political and philosophical circles that are most closely associated with individualism. This includes most schools of liberalism (particularly classical liberalism), together with libertarianism and anarcho-capitalism. Supporters of Objectivism — Ayn Rand and many people influenced by her — claim that collectivism is fallacious in theory and immoral in practice. They further argue that many or most political ideologies (other than Objectivism itself) are forms of collectivism or at least contain significant collectivist elements.
Anti-collectivists often argue that all authoritarian and totalitarian societies are collectivist in nature.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Ratner, Carl, Lumei Hui (2003). "Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross–Cultural Psychology". Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 33 (1): 72.
- ^ Agassi, Joseph (1960). "Methodological Individualism". British Journal of Sociology 11 (3): 244-270.
- ^ George Orwell, Collected Essays
- ^ Triandis, Harry C. (2001). "Individualism-Collectivism and Personality". Journal of Personality 69 (6): 909.
- ^ a b c Triandis, Harry C., Gelfand, Michele J. (1998). "Converging Measurement of Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74 (1): 119.
[edit] See also
- This entry is related to, but not included in the Political ideologies series or one of its sub-series. Other related articles can be found at the Politics Portal.
