assignment II ross

ASSIGNMENT 2

Collectivism is the ideology that the "whole" of the group is more valuable then the individual, and in this quote from Adolf Hitler, it is clearly evident, however there are many elements in how collectivism may be viewed as a negative ideology. In collectivism many individual principles disappear. These principles may be individual will, self-interest, and competition.

It is most likely that you wont reach your full potential in a collective society. In the source provided it states that, "The activities my not clash with the interests of the whole," however by doing so it neglects the individual self-interest. An example of this would be the country of Sweden. As a socialist state everything there must benefit the whole. There welfare community and taxes make it impossible to advance in the economy, everyone will remain equal. Individual interests such as economic freedom, private property and self-interest are gone. Individuals in this type of system no longer have a reason to try and advance their status, therefore no need to compete in society.

In a collective society all of the political and economic values are based upon cooperation so the simple principles of competition is lost, as well as economic freedom. Mainly resulting in cheap poorly made products. Cheap low wage labour is almost always used to make government cooperation's rich. Poor working conditions have been known in communist societies as well.

In the source provided it states," It must be the first duty of each citizen of the state to work with his mind or with his body.” In a collectivist society you're a member of the whole, everything you do must benefit the nation, if you don't benefit it there's no reason for you to be in that society. An example of this is in World War 2, the Jews didn't contribute to Hitlers Fascist collective society; his solution was the extermination of them. Violence to benefit the whole is not uncommon in collective societies. Such as Stalin , killing almost a million people for suspicion of been against his revolution, no trial, no proof just sent to their deaths immediately. There are cases of the government offering kids better schooling and better scholarships for turning in their parents if there talking negatively about government and of course there parents would be taken away to be removed. He also took away the hard earned land of farmers for government control with no compensation. However a few benefits arose from the communist Stalin, he gave women education as well as jobs and improved transportation by building new railways. (Stalin was a name given to him by the people meaning man of steel.)


A collective society may have its positives but the negatives will always out weigh them. Collective governments will take advantage of the workers and go to extreme measures to ensure society benefits over the individual. Violence and control is quite common as well as loosing many individual freedoms. The products you will get from a communist society will never compare to products from a individual society, only the best survive in a individual economy resulting in well made products. If you don't survive in the economy you find something you are good at.

"It must be the first duty of each citizen of the State to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but must proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good"

To what extent should we embrace collectivism?

Assignment #2 –Essay- (30-1)

Canada consists of many peoples that have different ideological standings.  We co-exist and blend to make Canada a completely unified nation. One of the fundamental ways in which Canadians are willing to give up their individual rights and freedoms is to solidify the unity of our social programs, like health care.  Through our collectivist efforts, every Canadian has the right to government subsidised health care, regardless of his or her social or economic position within our society.

Collectivism is a political, sociological, and economic conglomeration that advocates that peoples should live and work interdependently without private ownership, focusing on societal instead of individual needs, as mentioned in the source as our first duty.  Collectivism considers society as a whole, as one, where group goals are solely considered. Collectivism is not a new idea or concept. The ideas of collectivism inspired 19th century philosophers and writers like Karl Marx, influencing the defining of the economic system theories known as Socialism and Communism.  Webster's Dictionary defines collectivism as "a term embracing all systems on the Socialistic doctrine of the state, municipal, cooperative, etc. control of the economic life of the country." Collectivism has been used in many nations like China, the Soviet Socialist Republic andthe German Democratic Republic of East Germany.

In Economics, collectivism is the centrally planned and directed economy where there are limits to private ownership, including private property. The good of the collective state is primary concern.  An economy under the influence of collectivism would be subject to control by those employing the economic controls of Socialism and Communism.  Such collective efforts have led the Soviet Union to victory when it defeated the Germany in WW2.  Working tirelessly, the Soviet people out performed their fascist enemy on both the battlefield and in the production of war materials.   One of the benefits of a centrally planned economy is that the companys operating within that economy have the benefit of governmental support , oversight and direction.  A collective society is the hallmark of most co-operative  regimes like the Soviet Union and the East German democratic republic.  The collective society of North Korea is a modern example of a state planned economy, where millions have worked together in a unified effort so their leaders can develope sophisticated defensive weaponry to protect them from American Imperialism. Another example is Communist China, it is a Communist country where the society is well regulated and the economic policy is state supported capitalism. The Chinese government promoted the opperation of its companies and commits significant financial help to it's business sector.  Such actions make the Chinese economy the world leader in economic growth.  In China, the average citizen is expected to put the benefit of the nation ahead of their own personal ambitions.   

                In Canadian society, there has begun to see a shift towards the adoption  of collectivism.   The blocking by the government of the sale of Potash corp. in Saskatchewan to Chinese interests is just one sign of the benefits of governmental oversight that the people of Canada have benefited from.  The good of the people and the security of Canadian business is more important than short term company profits. Another example is the removal of property owners right to protest the construction of the large electrical transmission lines on the proposed north/south corridore.  The value of the project to the Canadian people as a whole outweighs the needs of the few landowners that the project will effect. 

                In conclusion, Canada as a nation has and can continue to benefit from collectivism. The struggle for the future direction of Canadian society will be decided by the generations of our youth that have grown up with respect for each other and a belief that the good of our society is more important that the selfish individualism of the individual.  There are no benefits to be had from a nation of individualists, to succeed in a future of diminishing energy sources, Canadians must become a nation that faces the future as a united people who seek their betterment together.

-          Shealyn Dahl

You have some very insightful points here. I do have some comments and suggestions though.

I do not recommend having a paragraph full of questions in an essay. I typically do not like questions in essays at all but that is a personal style issue. I know Questions in an essay are acceptable for rhetorical effect but these questions should lead into your thesis and the rest of your essay by being answered. I was also concerned that your thesis does not contain a road-map to where your essay is going however it is a bold statement about Canada and got my attention.

You may want to clarify what you mean by “Collectivism has been used in fascist regimes like Nazi Germany as well as in totalitarian…” Remember that fascism is not all collectivist. Politically they believe in totalitarian control, economically they believe in individualism, competition, and class inequality (as long as it promotes the state in the end). I also think that the statement perhaps should read “…as well as in other totalitarian…” since Fascism is the epitome of totalitarianism. In Nazi Germany people were encouraged to be individualist and competitive. When someone came up with an ingenious idea, or worked harder to accomplish a goal it was rewarded by the state. Through this method economic individualism was harnessed to promote the political goals of the collective.

I am curious what you read in your spare time. You always seem to bring up concepts that are not key topics in our class such as social entropy, pirate capitalism as well as Abe Lincoln’s socialist tendencies in the last essay. In your second paragraph where you talk about pirate capitalism you make a lot of bold statements that I feel in a longer essay would warrant further development and explanation of your position. I understand that this is not meant to be a huge essay assignment, but you may want to consider expounding on a statement or two from this paragraph. As an example your last statement from this paragraph regarding a “bullet to the back of the head”, is a very graphic yet generalizing statement that implies that execution is regular procedure. Is this really the case?

In your third paragraph I do not see the correlation between collectivism and military acquisitions from the USA. In fact this process could be seen by some as more of an individualist action in the concept of protection of individualist ideologies from foreign collectivist regimes. The purchasing of military equipment does not necessarily lean to the left or to the right.

As I stated earlier in this comment, the Fascist state is not purely collectivist. Be careful in making them sound this way. In pure (economic and political) collectivism everyone would benefit, in some way at least, from sharing. In fascism though, there are people who do not benefit at all while others benefit a great deal.

I think your concluding statement has some fallacies in it. Collectivism being broadcast by the “Hollywood propaganda machine”? United states is far more individualist than we are. Our health care system has been a collectivist project since the 18th century when hospitals were run as a non-profit system for the poor. The concept of universal health care in Canada was developed at the end of WW2, right as the Americans were beginning their aggressive ideological battle with collectivism in the cold war. We never looked at the communist state of Cuba as an enemy even though America asked us too. It is a far stretch to think we are getting our collectivist ideas from the States.

You should refer directly at some point to the source itself. If you notice at the end of the statement it says “…and should be for the general good”. This is where the speaker differs completely from fascism. Fascism is not for the general good nor does it claim to be. It is for the elite. This is why the system needs a scapegoat. In order to get the masses rallied behind them, the nazi’s needed the Jewish people to drop to the bottom of the class system in order to elevate even the most base of society to a position where they felt elite. Fascism is totalitarian but it is not collectivism in general.

-Mr. McClung

Essay II -Caity Allen

"The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but must proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good" this quote demonstrates a collective ideology.
Collectivism is a way of thinking that takes the values of the common good over the individuals values. Some will say collectivism is more reasonable because it is for the common good, though others can disagree because individualism gives you the freedom for private property.

Assignment 2 - Position Paper - FINAL COPY

 It is difficult for society to come to one agreement on the ideologies that should be followed. The author who provided the given source, is clearly a supporter of a collectivist society. The individual proposes the idea that the actions individuals take must be beneficial, for the common good of everyone. Individuals have the responsibility to maintain a balanced "ideal" life so that they will benefit the society as a whole. This author believes that collectivism is a key aspect for a province or country to function properly. Collectivists believe in human equality and cooperation. Individualism is the path society needs to be based upon. Each individual needs to fend for there own well being. Individuals have the ability to be successful on there own, do not have the right to abuse social programs, and have the right to create there own active innovations.

Each individual has the ability to be super successful without the cooperation of others. Encouragement from others is beneficial, but each must strive for there own level of prosperity. Every person on this earth has different expectations and goals. It is necessary that each works for there own good, the way they want, without the involvement of others, so that when they achieve there goal they will be extremely proud and appreciative. One should not be held responsible for the prosperity of another. For example, China is communist and follows the rules of Marxist-Leninism, founded by Karl Marx. The government is responsible to keep the country classless, and equal. Communism reinforces the idea of abolishing capitalistic theories by having the proletariat's work equal amounts, so that the wealth of the country is equivalent for everyone. This ideology limits individuality, and the ability to raise the bar of opportunity. In the world we live in today there is an unbelievable amount of dishonesty and corruption. Individualism is a beneficial ideology because each is responsible for there own choices, so that when the results are shown, one can not blame anyone but themselves. Burden or guilt can not be blamed upon another, in a society following the ideology of individualism.

In a pure individualist society there is little to no government involvement. In a society where government is involved, such as modern liberalism, social programs like welfare are offered. Unfortunately, many people choose to abuse or take advantage of these programs that are meant only for those in need. Often times individuals go on welfare because they do not have the ambition to get a job. One of the many excuses these individuals use is that they can not get a job. This is the most deceitful statement ever proclaimed. There is an exceeding amount of employment available, people are just opposed to taking a extra effort upon themselves. In the world we live in today, especially the generation coming up, people are dependent on others for there own prosperity. Do you know where the significant amount of taxes that comes off your paycheck each month goes to? A generous amount goes to support the welfare program. 6.5% of the population in Alberta are unemployed. This does not mean that this entire percent is people that do not want to work, it includes individuals that are stay at home parents, or people who are temporally injured, sick, or unemployed. These people have a reason to receive these benefits, because being a parent is the most important job in the world. This is the difference between pure individualism, and modern liberalism. Abusing these social programs is unacceptable, and it needs to be closely monitored.

Individuals have the freedom to share and create there own ideas. However, in a communist society this right is limited because of the idea of human equality being enforced. It is necessary that each person needs to create there own ideas and put them to action, the best way they see fit. It is unfortunate if one chooses to make a sad choice, but it is now there problem to deal with. This idea induces lessons that need to be learnt. In today's world, many people are dependent upon others thinking and making decisions for them, even if they are simple little choices. This, evidently, leaves more and more people unreliable and irresponsible. Work ethic is often weak, and people are unable to do simple tasks, such as clean there own homes and care for there own children. Even though fascism is a form of reactionary government, it supports the themes of competition and the will to create ones own future. Fascism especially supports pure individualism where individuals strive to benefit the state as a whole. Honor is demonstrated by awarding those to strive harder then others. 

Jose Marti, an individualist has an inspiring, true quote that says, "The first duty of a man is to think for himself." This is so important because no one has the right to plan anothers life. Each that has the ability, has the right to decide where they want to go in life. Individuality is so significant, because it allows people the right to decide who they want to be. Independence brings variation to society, along with multiple innovations and freedoms. Communist governments miss the hidden opportunities in this ideology. Communism follows the idea of human equality, and believes in cooperation, instead of competition, so they would not agree with the quote. Fascists would not entirely agree with the quote either. They believe that individuals have the right to have there own prosperity, but, on the other hand, they support the value of government by elite, meaning if people are not smart enough, they should not be eligible to vote. Individualism needs to be embraced by more governments. The only people that are not eligible of making there own decisions and voting, are those that may have mental disabilities. Its only logical that they will have difficulty making valid decisions, its understandable. Everyone else has the right to vote or choose there outcomes.

In conclusion, ultimately, collectivism, along with communism, conceals and blocks numerous opportunities. Communism is a barrier for those who have the ambition to strive for there own prosperity. Why should one be held from ones own potential? Ambition is a rare aspect founds in today's society. We need to embrace all that we have, so that the future can hold all the potential possible. Individualism opens doors and creates opportunities that need to be grasped.

Erica's essay, collectivism. final copy.

This statement provided by this author is that of collectivism. Collectivists believe that people should be thinking about their actions, and how they effect the citizens around them. The citizens of a community or a group should be allowed to rely on the people around them to help provide for their families or them as individuals. There is the few problems to a collective community or state however.



Collectivism would benefit many people around the world, such as people who have been around poverty their whole lives, those who are disabled and not able to take care of themselves. On top of it benefiting many people it would also be doing the reverse effect on the rest of the community or state. Due to the fact they are unable, would mean the population of people that are working and earning their own way would be working twice as much for what they deserve because they are providing for the unable. In Canada, we are a country that allows many different ideologies. Our understanding of collectivisim is much more broader due to the variety of ideologies. An ideology is a body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture. Collectivisim wouldn't nessesarily be able to exist within a society if a variety of ideologies were not acceptable in a group, class or culture. Just as Canada as a country has the ability to co-exist with many ideologies.


I believe that collectivism needs to be embraced as a country. It's importance to exist is almosst mandatory to have a civil, healthy, and proper way of life without judgement, and less racism. Ideologies vary in many ways, and may create conflicts with other ideologies within a country or territory. This statement says "The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole." When is states the interests of the whole, it means that if a country was too believe in individualism, the country would not be able to co-exist with other ideologies. Collectivism creates a bond inbetween ideologies making it much more able to live and act as a whole.



Ideological perspectives of collectivism reflected in this source should be embraced as a country and as a whole. Collectivism is mainly for the general good and to maintain a good framework of a community with many ideologies able to co-exist within it. The bond collectivism creates is what a country needs to be able to thrive and succed in all aspects of a country. Collectivism should be embraced by all countries in order to be able to exist in this world with other countries.

                                                                      Social


             A common, collective goal is easier achieved than an individual goal. Having many minds and skilled hands working together will come together faster than one set of hands, no matter the experience. The pyramids were not built by one man, but thousands of people. (too bad they were slaves) The common goal is the best way for an economy to prosper, when the economy prospers, the individual will prosper along with it.

            How the individual will prosper from the collective prosperity. (body 1)


            Selfishness within the system leads to recession. Obvious ways to demonstrate this is the effectiveness of government bail outs in America recently. (body 2)

     
            Chinese prosperity based on collectivism, which has seen them rise to the strongest superpower in the world. (body 3)


            Close- Not sure what to be base my closing statement on, maybe just mumble some facts about the economies of the collectivist nations.

Justine's essay

" It must be the first duty of each citizen of the state to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but must process within the frame of the community and be for the general good."

     The author in this quote is stating ideas of collectivism. Collectivism is a way of thinking that values the goals of the group and the common good over the goals of any one individual. Many people would agree the collectivism is helpful, but helpful to people who cant support themselves. When entering a collective state you lose the right to things like private property and economic freedoms, you become a person in a group of people instead of an individual. we should embrace this ideological perspective to a certain point but also remember everyone is an individual and should have individual rights.

     Collectivism can offer a lot of social programs for people who need it. For example a program like welfare can help a family greatly, it can give them the help and necessities they need and do not have the ability or resources to get. Welfare can help a family support a household or even provide low income housing so people have a place to live that is in their price range. It puts you on a monthly budget and gives you enough money for food, rent, and bills. Welfare programs can be a negative thing also, there are some people who abuse the system and live off of welfare when they are able to work and have the resources to make a stable living. In cases like that people should be cut off because in the end it is the tax payers that are paying them to be lazy.

      When entering a collective state you lose the right to private property and economic freedoms. That means you are not considered an individual you are considered as a person amongst a large group of people. Everything that you do has to benefit society as well as you. Canada kind of lives in a collective state, because the tax payers pay for health care and social programs to help people who need it. Yet Canada does allow private property and economic freedomes. People should have the right to private property and economic freedomes because economic freedomes help improve the economy by incouraging economic competition.

     People should embrace collectivism to a certain point but remember that they are an individual as well. The help that the government can suppy greatly help people who are in need of the rousources and supplies that they can give. People should have the right to private property and the government should not own the economy. Without private ownership of the economy there is no competition and the economy doesnt grow as much.


-collective thinking
-For the good of the community
-Emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity.

Advantages to collectivism...
- Better social relationships within a family, group, or community.
- Reduced levels of competition and insecurity.
- People who are unable to care for themselves are taken care of.
-helps people who live in poverty.
-people co-operate more.
-There is less competition, economic equality. 

Disadvantages to collectivism....
- could produce an extremist groups
- The people that actually work hard for what they get have to pay out to people who are unable to support themselves. 
-there is no private property... everything is public property.

Amy Anderson - Essay.

"It must be the first duty of each citizen of the State to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but must proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good"

30-1 Position Paper

source ideas: collective responsibility, controlled society is necessary for a successful nation

      
           A collective ideology can be disastrous if it falls into the wrong hands. Social norms can be flipped and certain rights can be ignored or completely abolished, if the government believes it benefits the society. In communist nations such as North Korea, the entire nation has been raised to believe a certain way, regardless of whether the individual would have made that decision if more options were available.
          In the source it states, "The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole." If this ideology is correct, how can progress occur with such strict regulations? Many of humanities' greatest inventions were frowned upon by the majority of people, until it was proven by continuous research. If a society resists and shoots down an idea, the idea can never grow to become something useful.
          In a fully controlled society, many of the individuals tend to take on only certain ideas, turning the society away from free thinking and toward a very patriotic and eventually violent nation towards countries that do not agree with their ideology. Communist nations often have a well run economy because of the absolute control in the system, and with a stronger economy brings a greater budget for military funding. Although a strong military is essential for security from other nations, it also brings greed through the power of control gained from the military. Other nations that promote freedom may not have the same priorities, and are defenseless against the strong military power of the communist nation.
         Collective society for the benefit of the people is an idea that is an inaccurate representation of reality. It appeals to people that do not have a stable income and unfair living conditions because they are promised a job and equality. The wolf in sheep's clothing appears when families are stripped of their house or their rights because a person in charge believes the families perceived belongings are better suited in someone else's hands. This is a direct similarity to fascism, where the rights of the individual will be abused for the benefit of the government. However these occurrences go unnoticed because what the people hear is controlled by the same elite group responsible for the actions in the first place. 
         A collective society is not in the best interest of the people because of the lack of freedom and force required to conform a nation to one ideology. The benefit of economic success in a nation comes at the expense of inequality and loss of security. Human rights can be stripped without any intervention or media attention because of censorship of the public. Creativity and the ability to invent new things diminishes as a nation forces its ideas and resists all the others. A collective society is not the answer for a nation that wants to progress.

Nicola's Essay

Collectivism is the ideology in which people work together for the common good of the society. However the question can be raised to what extent should we or do we embrace this ideology. Whose perspective do we go by? When a society is controlled collectively some of our individual rights and freedoms can be taken from us and we are forced into a community of people that we may not agree with. A collective society can have a positive or negative outcome, but I personally believe it has more negative effects than positive. The aspects of a collective society that create negative effects are; people taking advantage of beneficial systems, relying on other to live, government representatives missing the point of making decisions for the common good of the people and it could lead to producing extremist groups that treat people with disbelief harshly.

As citizens of a collective society people often can have their rights and freedoms taken from them. Not all their right and freedoms are taken away from them but many can be. These rights and freedoms include freedom of speech, private property, self-interest and economic freedom. When a community on a smaller scale is looked at, for example a school or small group within a community, the behaviours and attitudes of an individual affect the whole school or group, especially if the system was. In communities if one individual was to break, damage or ruin public property in any way often this area would no longer allow other individuals to use during certain times, or without certain supervision. Rules and laws are placed upon everyone because of one person’s behaviours. This makes an unfair punishment for the citizens that have had their rights taken away from them and were using it for all the right reasons.

Another disadvantage of having a collective society is when citizens rely on the society to support them. These support systems can often be in the forms of benefits, welfare, public property and relying on the individuals around them. If one has been raised in a collective society their whole life then this may affect them in the long run. It would be just as hard to go from an individualistic society to a collectivist society; however you know how to live and earn for yourself, or provide for a family. When welfare or social programs are being abused then other people that are in a more dire need of the money or support miss out. People mistreatment these programs by taking more than they need or misuse what the money is for.

When individuals ask for money to help them by groceries weekly or monthly but go and spend that money to feed an addiction, we as tax payers are still losing our money and it isn’t even being used for the right purposes. People who use welfare for the wrong reasons are they types of people I mentioned in my second paragraph when I said citizens “abuse the system” ruining it for others. The first line of the topic sentence says, “It must be the first duty of each citizen of the state to work with his mind or with his body”, if they is what the source is saying then why are do citizens get in the habitat of relying on the welfare money to get them by whether it was for the wrong reason or the right reason. When they get comfortable with these sources of income without even having to lift a finger they get comfortable having the idea that the money will just keep coming. This is one of the reasons a collective society is unfair. Some people in the community are earning all the money, paying more taxes for the people that are too lazy to work.

A collective society is run and supported by government members and citizens that are fighting for the common good of the people. This one of the positive aspects of a collective society; however there are some down falls to this structure as well. When everyone is fighting for the good of the people some issues either get overthrown or not listened to. The highest person presenting ideas will be listened too. The people in control of the government will do what THEY think is best for the community or group and not what the citizens think is best for the community they are living in.

The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but most proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good." This statement is suggesting that if we, as the citizens, want to pursue a certain job, religion or belief, it must be for the common good of the group. If I was fighting for a collective society then I would 100% agree with this statement however, when you look at this from an individualist’s point of view it is not correct at all. If we had to do everything for everyone else then we may never fulfill a desire or belief we had. If there was individuals that had a different religion than the rest the society they would either have to keep it a secret, practice it discreetly or conform to what society wanted them belief. Their religion may not physically or mentally harm the rest of the group but it will always be the majority wins.

All of the points that have been raised throughout have clearly proved that living in a collective society may not be what is best for a group of people. People need to learn to earn money for themselves, think of themselves, receive punishments for their own mistakes, learn from their own mistakes and support themselves with their own work ethic. When one gets told to do something for themselves they may be horrible at first, earning minimum wage and living off close to nothing, but if they do this long enough they will soon learn what they need to do in order to make more money for themselves as individuals or provide for a family. There is no way they can get worse if they start at the bottom, they will always get higher up in society even if it take a few years.

B Wint Essay #2

Ideas: Collectivism
Good of the group
Cooperation
Involvement from citizens is key for success of the group.
Quote uses phrases like "First Duty'', and "General Good"
Group Needs Exceed Individual Needs

My Position:
Agree Mostly, but i believe liberty is an important aspect, people need to watch out for themselves.

         The decisions we make and the way we live our lives are the foundations for our economic and political ideologies. The source tells us that it must be the first duty of each citizen to work for the general good. The author believes that the group, or society as a whole, should be of the utmost importance, this is called collectivism. I believe that a person should have complete control over his or her own life. The citizens should be focused on doing things fitting to their lifestyle, and working out their own salvation. This would ensure that the needs of each individual would be met. Collectivism tells us that we need to work together in order to be successful, but if everyone is working to better their own lives, this would mean society would be operating in an orderly fashion, and the needs of the group are met. With a collective society they also adopt collective rights, which means they must take away the freedom of the individual.

      

          Competition is a critical point of individualism; it makes people want to achieve more than others. Everyone wants to prove something, and it not only drives them to work and sustain themselves, it also helps to benefit society. Having competition with the free market greatly increases efficiency in the workplace, hence increasing production. Having the ability to compete also brings out the creativity in people. Both collectivism, and individualism focus on the "good" of the people. When people are working to do the best they can, they're also creating new ways to do things, and giving different perspectives on ideas. With all of this happening, its helping society to better itself, and the needs of the group are met. This phenomena is exactly what Adam Smith wrote about in, "The Wealth Of Nations." He suggested that as each individual strove to better benefit themselves, they we're being led by an, "Invisible Hand" which created prosperity for everyone without knowingly doing so.

         

          Freedom of choice is also a powerful aspect of an individualistic society. Everyone on this planet is different, and we all have varying degrees of success. The source tells us that the activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, although a diverse and multi faceted society can be the best thing for the whole  Take an iron worker and a particle physicist for example. In a collective environment, they would be looked at equally, although in reality they have very different needs, and require different resources in order to be successful. Each Individual has a different skill set, which can be utilized to achieve a "common good", without being conformed to fit a set social structure, this is what makes individualism so powerful.

         The nature of a person can have tremendous effects on their surroundings, from the morals they follow, to their day-to-day routine. In a collective environment it’s presumed that the people are incapable of taking care of themselves, that’s why the government has so much control over them. Someone who is motivated to accomplish something has a very dramatic impact on others around them. The source tells us that people are obligated to contribute to the group in every way they can, this suggests that without co-operation from the people, society would fail. People naturally want to succeed, and usually do things that help improve their lives, while some make poor choices which can also be beneficial in a way. Bad decisions have bad outcomes, and when people see the consequences they learn to avoid such decisions.

          Its extremely difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes a group successful. Choice is what the people desire, and when given opportunities they can do amazing things for the betterment of the whole, without having to be one and the same. Rights for the individual are absolutely necessary when looking at what makes society flourish. Without rights, people are defenceless against oppressive government control which often exploits peoples skills to use for their own advantage. Overall the most fundamental aspect of society, are actually the individuals who live within it, and they have the power to do what is necessary.

Position Paper

"It must be the first duty of each citizen of the state to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but most proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good."


Collectivism is a current of thinking that values the goals of the group and the common good over the goals of any one individual, while individualism is a current of thinking that values the freedom and worth of the individual sometimes over the security and harmony of the group. This source raises the question of, is collectivism better then individualism? There are many advantages and disadvantages to both collectivism, and individualism. I am personally a believer that individualism is a better path. People tend to take advantage of others good will. If there are good will programs available, people will take advantage of them.

The American dream is starting with nothing and working your ass off to have everything. Your accomplishment is going to feel a thousand times better if you do it all by yourself. People should be able to thrive on their own without the support of the community. In a collective society some people will work hard to have everything, while others will just scrape by on the success of others. Competition is a positive aspect of individualism, As humans we thrive to be better then everyone around us. So the more people want to gain success, the higher the bar will be raised. Soon after people thrive for success, you can see which people will and won't reach the bar, and the class distinction is born. An economic class system would be a positive for society, because people know where they sit and if they want to go up a class they simply need to work harder to achieve it.

In collective society many individuals take advantage of programs such as welfare. While these programs are here to help the people that can not work or are disabled in anyway, that's not the way they are used more times then not. People use programs such as food stamps to feed their families instead of going out and getting a job to buy them on their own. So the upper class is forced to pay higher taxes to help support the lower class. People need to be able to support themselves and their families on their own. If you can not provide the most basic needs for yourself or 

Social 30-1 Essay

"It must be the first duty of each citizen of the state to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but most proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good."

Social 30-1

Amy Sylvester

This statement could be taken either way; you could support it by believing in collectivism or believing in individualism. Collectivism meaning "The principles or system of ownership and control of the means of production and distribution by the people collectively, usually under the supervision of a government" or Individualism meaning “Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence"

Some examples of collectivism would be social organization, collective rights, public control, public ownership and community. Things should all be for the common good and good equality among citizens. Some examples of individualism is self-reliance, personal independence, rule of law, laisseze-faire capitalism and competition. Individualism is a lot of doing what is best interests of one self's.

I very strongly agree with Individualism, I think it should be up to you as a person to make your own decisions. People should not be making the decisions for you. The second half of this statement I strongly disagree with,  because we should be able to do things and participate in certain events based on what we believe not what is best for the people around us. If we were to only do things based on the people around us we may miss out on a lot of advantages in life. I strongly think that collectivists take over your mind, imposing you to think what they are telling you is good.

We as an individual have our rights and freedoms, and collectivists sometimes don't follow those rules. We are told we have the freedom of religion and we can practice the religion of ones choice. But yet some collectivists believe that a group of people should just follow one religion. Hobbes is a strong supporter of collectivism, he told us that if we give up our rights as an individual he will protect us.

It is up to you as an individual to do your own work, it should not be up to anyone else to decide when or how you do your own work. By other people telling you what you should be doing you aren't taking a stand in what you think is best. We were raised being told that we should follow our dreams, and that if you believe in something you should follow your heart. But then there are collectivists who want you to do what they think is best, what they think will be successful. Which from what I think, it sounds like they will crush your dreams. By following what a collectivists thinks is best you could end up getting yourself stuck in a huge mess. But by taking a stand and following what you believe nothing could go wrong.

But it is also way easier for me to support individualism cause I was raised knowing you believe what you want to believe. I also knew that people do not make my decisions, I make my own. But if you were raised in a family that believed in collectivism that's probably all you would know. It would also probably be more difficult for collectivists to become an individualist because they are so used to other people making their decisions for them.

“He who is brave is free" - Roman Philosopher, I think is a strong quote that represents this source very well. If you are not free then what are you? Individualism signifies freedom. Nobody should want to feel like their imprisoned, you should want to feel like you have a sense of freedom. By the he being brave, and sticking up for what "he" believes in his is supporting individualism.

Sams Essay

   
                                               ---One Source Essay Rough Draft---


              The view of this source is one that depicts a fascist type belief, one that talks of working for the good of the country and preforming whatever it takes for the greater good of the nation.
" It must be the first duty of each citizen of the State to work with his mind or with his body."
This quote shows how, with this view, the occupants of a country or "state" are expected to work with mind or body to help for the overall good, thus making the view one of fascism.  The ideology is disagreeable, flawed. While forcing everyone to help the country succeed the people do not prosper and fall into disparity.

        Hey you should really log out before you put your computer away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                   

              


             

Essay #2

"It must be the first duty of each citizen of the State to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interest of the whole, but must proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good."

Paragraph  1 What is collectivism? How does it relate to this quote?

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

Conclusion

Important for introduction
1: attention grabber
2: thesis road map and position
connect attention grabber to thesis


Collectivism is everyone working together to complete a common goal. Collectivism has a lot of benefits, but also has some disadvantages. Not everyone agrees with collective ideas, some people believe it is only necessary to look out for themselves; this ideology is called individualism. I believe collectivism is the best for a society, because everyone is equal and it appears to be a closer society. The principles of collectivism are economic equality, co-operation, public property, collective interest, and collective reponsibility.

Economic equality is very important to the ideology of collectivism. It presents the idea that people with larger incomes should pay more taxes, earn equal wages for similar work, and share the wealth. They should also own the means of production, and everything should be free. Karl Marx would agree. He once said, "To each according to his need." This means it is unfair for one man to live on the income of a family with more dependants. Individualist would say a disadvantage to economic equality would be no private property, but in the eyes of a collectivist if everyone does work together, and shares. There is no need for private property, hense the closer society.

 Public property is absolutly anything such as land, vehicles, even houses. Therefore it would be owned by the community, and managed to the best interest of the community as a whole. Karl Marx believes that only workers should profit from their own labour, not employers,only the owners of the company. Within Canada we have public property such as Wild Life Preserves, National Parks and Crown land, which are all property owned by the governmment to benefit society. If the government did not interfere with our resources we would not have the resources we have today.


Collective interest are what the members of the group have in common. It the basis for the organized labour movement, which began during the Industrial Revolution. They organized trade unions, which then bettered working conditions, and gave them higher wages. They press for change and reform. Collective reponsibility means holding the entire group reponsible for the actions of the individual. Everyone is accountable for everyone's actions. Co-operation is everyone working together. It could involve designating roles, following certain protocols for speaking, or following guidelines for decision making. Everyone has to do their share. If one person doesn't do there job, the system won't work as easily.

 Collectivism is obviously the best choice for a society. If gives you more wealth, closer society, and teamwork skills. Everyone should work together to achieve greatness. Individualism is selfish, conniving, and just morally wrong. If you want the job done, and done with teamwork, choose collectivism. It the way to go!

Classical Liberalism

Here is a poster I made with the main points of Classical Liberalism: