Sei sulla pagina 1di 6

When I stumbled across an article that classified

individuality into different stages, I was intrigued by the


whole concept. Sadly, Individuality is misconstrued as
'Uniqueness' these days. Or has it always been this way since
the dawn of the prehistoric phase? Individuality, according
to me, is an awakened social consciousness that makes an
individual confront social injustice with his free will. I don't
want to digress but while we are on the topic, it's very
interesting to note that individuality is strongly associated
with free will. When I say free will, I don't say I don't believe
in determinism or fatalism. I would probably call my views
as classically compatible (Compatibilism is the belief that
Freewill and Determinism can exist together). But why do I
say 'Individuality' is strongly associated with freewill? Take
the case of Socrates. Social injustice may be applicable to all
the fields. Socrates confronted social injustice by choosing to
act against the state. The wisest man, according to the oracle
at Delphi was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens!
His adherence to truth can be called as 'free will'. But his
tragic death is fatalistic. Death is a deterministic event. But
the legend chose to accept death by saying he believed the
right time had come for him to die! Now, here is an
individual who chose to embrace fatalism with his free will!

This seriously brings a truckload of other questions which I


will try answering:

1. Can individuality be inspired?

In my humble opinion, Individuality can NOT be inspired.


It's some kind of a rational force that has its inspiration
within. There may be a lot of people like Socrates to inspire
you, yes, but only experience can shape an individual. I
strongly agree with the empiricists in this regard.

2. If I want to become an awakened socially conscious


person, do I need to follow the footsteps of great visionaries?

I would say a big 'No' to this question too. You really need to
have inspirations; of course, there's no question about it.
Following someone's footsteps may be deemed as right by
certain people but let's look at it this way. Times have
changed and changes have become inevitable. The
experiences gained by others may be different compared to
yours! Solipsists, I guess will be able to understand what I
am trying to convey!
3. When I say "I am a socially awakened individual", does
that mean I am an objectivist?

Freewill may be associated with Objectivism but


Individualism, in my opinion, is not. This enlightened self-
interest moulds Egoists and exacerbates their condition.

4. Is an Individual subjective or objective?

I would say a fine blend of both subjectivity and objectivity


will create an individual.

5. Does a socially awakened individual focus on the end


results?

IMO, No. He does his duty (which is a form of Free will) and
leaves the rest to God or any supreme power he believes in
(which is a form of Determinism).

6. This isn't a question but a fact. Socially conscious


individuals don't proclaim themselves to be enlightened.
Socrates thought the oracle at Delphi was paradoxical just
because it said he was the wisest person. With Individuality
comes humility.
Now, delving deeper into the topic, we'll see what stops a
person from becoming an awakened social Individual. The
various factors, according to me would be Prejudice,
Pretense, Envy, Fear, Conformism and the like. Prejudice
gives a man preconceived notions. Preconceived notions can
take a man in the wrong path. It might lead him to
prejudicial views about everything he seeks or tries to
understand. Pretense or hypocrisy makes a person preach
what he doesn't believe in. Indian politicos fall into this
category. Envy or Jealousy can make people get influenced
by other great people's views and make them fall into the
nadir of self-deprecation and restraint. Fear can stop an
ordinary person from pursuing his highest goals. But the
virtuous embrace difficulties with equanimity. They are
imperturbable. Conformism has every potential to deprive a
man of his rationality.

To shape an individual, education, in my humble opinion is


the most effective tool. Original thinking as opposed to
conventional thinking should be encouraged. Half of our
lives is spent reading other people's materials. By the time
we read all the philosophers, we would have started
thinking their thoughts. I don't mean to say one mustn’t
read. One also needs to do some original thinking.
Analysing a situation from other people's perspective will
only deprive you of your sanity. A student should be able to
tell why the Socratic Method is useful and why it may not be
useful at other times (This is just an example). He should be
able to articulate clearly why he thinks the Big Bang theory
is wrong. Sadly, our educational system is keen on
producing slaves rather than individuals.

I had previously written about Classical and Romantic


Understanding and its classifications; Conservative classical,
Radical classical and conservative romantic and Radical
romantic understanding. Let's just say that of all the types,
the persons falling into the first two categories are likely to
be become socially awakened individuals. We know that
romantics can't become individuals (Please take a look at the
article for definitions). We'll now discuss conservative
classical and radical classical understanding with respect to
Individuality briefly.

Does Conservative Classical Understanding create an


individual?
While it's an undeniable fact that people falling into
conservative classical category are conformists (not hardcore
conformism), they are still classical thinkers. I would
personally opine that their thinking is flexible. Flexible as in
they don't have preconceived notions. So they have the
highest probability of becoming Individuals.

The reasons why radical Classical Understanding can not


create an Individual

Radical Classical thinkers may be biased or prejudiced


because the ambiguity of their thoughts may overweigh
their intentions. They have every qualification to become an
individual but they lose their individuality with their ego.
The social consciousness is reduced to zilch when they let
their ego destroy them.

Potrebbero piacerti anche