I would like to call into question the idea that individualism is the way forwards. Allow me to explain: the West seems to be built on this idea that we can change our situation. Even the Calvinists, who don't necessarily believe in free will (though by some gymnastics, some do, don't ask me how) still seem to support acting like we have free will, since we can't know everything about how we'll act in the future. However, this seems to be outdated for several reasons:
- Humans don't have free will
- Believing in free will and asking for choice makes us less happy
- Dualism is dead. There is no evidence that there is a portion of the human mind that exists without connection to the body. Many Christians (who are, in the West, the main proponents of this), even, think this way (hence the importance of the resurrection)
- Given the advancements we are quickly making in the fields of psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and advanced computing, it is not impossible to think that the vast majority of our life choices may, in the future, be able to be predicted by an AI
- Furthermore, that AI may even know how to maximize happiness in the society at large with the fewest resources
- It is because people value the delusion of free will that things like the tragedy of the commons exists
- It is because people think their choices are free that deceptive advertising is so effective
So, NSG, should we continue to pretend that the individual knows best?
If you think individualism is superior to collectivism, why?
If vice versa, what's your solution to rampant individualism?