Hyper-Individualism & the Entrepreneurial Self

Is there a version of the individual that can serve as the grounds for a more collectivist US-American culture? We turn to contemporary German Philosopher Byung-Chul Han for direction.

American individualism has changed over time, as I’ve written about in The Production of American Individualism. It has gone from one extreme to the other: the rugged individualism that underpins the settler-colonial project (Manifest Destiny and Westward expansion) becomes the non-conformist and politically rebellious subject at the heart of anti-colonial and anti-war activism during the late 1960s and early 1970s protest era. The good news is that individualism in the US-American context is quite adaptable. Since it is becoming increasingly clear that to meet today’s challenges, we need a more collectivist, less self-interested individual, the question becomes: Is there a version of the individual that can serve as the grounds for a more collectivist American culture?

Byung-Chul Han’s Hyper-Individualism & the Entrepreneurial Self

On the face of it, it doesn’t seem like we are moving in that direction. Philosopher Byung-Chul Han provides an insightful critique of individualism and …