Spectra




Britain is a historically individualistic country. Good.


individualistic <--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->collectivist

                                                                              Britain                         world in general






Britain is an individualistic country today. Not so good.


individualistic <--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->collectivist

                                   Britain                        world in general





A simplified observation on individualism specifically, but also a general comment that the important thing is to find the best place on a spectrum, not to seek to be more to one side of it than everyone else. If you are seeking to be the most on one side, then presumably, you are not genuinely interested in the best outcome, but in posturing.

I could equally have put many things, e.g. permisiveness on the left and social boundaries on the right (no left-wing/right-wing analogy intended), for much the same comment.



Endnote: The reader may or may not be interested to note that finding the right points on spectra in this manner is fundamental to Aristotle's concept of morality.

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