Saved by Keely Adler
The Individualism Myth | #241
The Consumer Story goes like this: each of us is out for ourselves, and that is the way it should be. We are individuals, narrowly defined and independent of one another; the ‘self’ might extend as far as our immediate family, but no further.
Brian Eno • Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us
American society is driven by hyperindividualism: we are all free and independent individuals who can choose to do pretty much what we want.This clearly isn’t true, since people obviously aren’t free: they’re controlled by socioeconomic circumstances. I think most people feel like it’s impossible for them succeed in today’s world (“I will never be ... See more
Ava • modern malaise
We live in an increasingly anxious and depressed society, subject to unprecedented psychic misery at a time of unprecedented prosperity. The psychologist Martin Seligman explains this paradox with two parallel forces, which he calls 'the waxing of the individual and the waning of the commons'. On
Richard Meadows • Optionality: How to Survive and Thrive in a Volatile World
Today’s rich Americans can afford vastly more leisure than ever before, but as Thompson points out, they’re using their wealth “to buy the strangest of prizes: more work”. This trend only starts to make sense against the backdrop of the waning of the commons. In a world absent God or meaning, work is evolving from a means of material production to
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