individualism

                         Individualism

Individualism considers the State a necessary evil,but it wants to keep the State because without the state,law and order is not possible and without law and order the progress of civilisation and culture is not possible. In spite of all this, the individualist wants to limit the function of the state.
Statement of the Theory of Individualism
The principles of individualism is also called Laissez Faire in French language,which means,'leave the individual alone ' and there should be minimum interference, in his functions,by the government. It should be left to the will of the individual to do what he desires. The State or the government should only interfere when it feels that one individual is unnecessarily interfering in the liberty of the other.
According to John Stuart Mill, the main function of the state is protection. Therefore,the maintenance of army,police,navy and courts is justified,but the things which are not directly protective,like Post Office, Telegraph,Railways,Education ,Hospitals etc..should not be run by the government. According to those who believe in individualism, the government should perform the following functions..

1- The protection of the and individuals against foreign aggression.

2- Protection of individual against individual,in matters of physical harm,slander,personal restraints etc.

3- The protection of property (theft,dacoity and other types of protection of property).

4- Protection of individuals against false contracts or breach of contracts.

5- Protection of the invalid persons.

Bases of Individualism

1-Ethical
2-Political
3-Scientific
4-Economic

1-Ethical Basis-Thinkers like Kant,Fichte,Mill and Humboldt are the supporters of ethical basis. According to them,state interference goes against the development of the individuals personality and character. They say that each individual is wise enough to understand his interest well. The individual should be left free to himself to enable him to develop his personality and character. When the government encroaches upon the individual field, the individual loses all sense of responsibility and his self-reliance and personality are destroyed. Humboldt says,"The real aim of the individual,which has been fixed by the orders of wisdom is the maximum and complete development of human faculties." Mill is of the view,that "Government interference starves the development of some portion of the bodily or mental faculties when it deprives one from doing what one is inclined to do or from acting according to one's judgement of what is desirable ".
Mill has divided the functions of the individual into two parts-1-Personal 2-Affecting Society.
Personal functions are those which affects the individual who perform them,which are related to him. Other functions are those which affect the society. Mill says that the state has no rights to interfere in the functions of the individual,because the individual is supreme in those matters. However, in social functions the state must interfere.

2-Political basis- The political basis of this theory was developed by way of protest under Social Contract Theory as propounded by John Locke against the claims of kings to absolute power. John Locke advocated that the people enjoyed certain natural rights in the State of nature. Therefore,the duty of state should be to protect those rights. The individualist supported the theory of Laissez Faire or 'leave the individual alone ' not on the basis of any absolute justice,but they did it one the basis of the real achievement through state. They said that the state was mean not an end. The State has already many functions to perform, and it is not advisable to increase them as Mill has said, "Every additional functions means a new burden on a body already over charged with duties,the result is that most things are ill done and much is not done at all."

3-Scientific Basis-Herbert Spencer has supported individualism on the biological basis. He says that
in biology there is a continuous struggle among the organisms and animals. Only the strong survive in this struggle and the weak perish. This is the law of nature. He asks why this law of natural development should not be applied to human life? Incapable and feeble people shall automatically perish in society and only strong and able persons will survive. He believes in the survival of the fittest. He feels that the state is rendering the society weak by protecting development. According to Spencer,compulsory education,help to the poor,social law and changing the law of natural development are useless efforts.

4-Economic Basis-Adam Smith supported individualism on the economic basis. He was of the view that the state or the government should not interfere in the economic sphere as far as possible. Each individual is competent to safeguard his interests well. He maintained that the government which governed least,governed best. The trade and industry flourish best if left to private enterprise.
Non-interference by the government will open competition,which will give opportunity to the capitalist to earn more and more.
Cainer observes,"Laissez-faire assumes that the interest of human beings are fundamentally the same,that which is best for the interests of one is the best for others,that the individual known his interest in the sense in which they are coincident with the interests of others and that in the absence of coercion,he will in this sense follow them ".