The Dangers of Collectivism
In a society where others encourage actions based on "the greater good" or the collective, it grows increasingly more difficult to break away from the herd. This essay will cover collectivism both in historical and ideological terms, and aims to defend an individualistic perspective, while exposing the dangers of collectivism. During communist Russia, "the greater good" was often used to suppress dissent, forcing people to shut up about any violations of human rights. People were brainwashed into thinking a violation of human rights served a greater goal to help the collective. In Solzhenitsyn's "The Gulag Archipelago", he explains the sort of "fake democracy" that Russia had during the time. In these kinds of democracies, the state would set up a scenario where one had two options, but one very bluntly benefitted them and one hindered them. Moreover, the "benefit" did not actually help them, but only boosted their...