This is the fundamental fact on which the whole philosophy of individualism is based. It does not assume, as is often asserted, that man is egoistic or selfish or ought to be. It merely starts from the indisputable fact that the limits of our powers of imagination make it impossible to include in our scale of values more than a sector of the needs of the whole society, and that, since strictly speaking, scales of value can exist only in individuals minds, nothing but partial scales of values exist – scales which are inevitably different and often inconsistent with each other. From this the individualist concludes that the individuals should be allowed, within defined limits, to follow their own values and preferences rather than somebody else’s; that within these spheres the individual’s system of ends should be supreme and not subject to dictation by others. It is this recognition of the individual as the ultimate judge of his ends, the belief that as far as possible his own views ought to govern his actions, that forms the essence of the individualist position.
-F.A. Hayek (The Road to Serfdom)
I dryly note that this one item, individualism, is what drives most Collectivists / Statists / Socialist bananas. They can’t understand that a LOT of people just want to be left alone to pursue their own idea of Happiness. We aren’t enamored (and in many cases, down right ANGRY) that Progressive Socialists demand or mandate that we must “share” in their ideas of what Utopia should be for everyone. And that’s when the smearing starts – how DARE you not join us – we only want what’s best for you.
As if we are all children who have no sensibilities of our own. And then they turn that into the Culture and Political war we see now. Everything is turned into a political skirmish, everything must be decided by arguments – nothing can be left outside of their sphere of interest. Instead of their vaunted “tolerance”, everything has become a struggle to just be left alone. In each and every case, these Moral Morons and Jr High School Hallway Monitor Mentalities believe they have the duty and RIGHT to boss everyone else around.
I will not comply.
