Individuality

[inhibitions]

Does the concept of an individual exist?

For me, no. Individualism would require that one be completely uninfluenced by the world around him/her and that their wants and cognitive process are unadulterated by any person, event, or past event.

I'm curious to see what others have to say.

 

[Grayman]

The world gives me options, but my individuality exists in being able to choose from them.

 

[TimeAsylums]

Does the concept of an individual exist?

For me, no. Individualism would require that one be completely uninfluenced by the world around him/her and that their wants and cognitive process are unadulterated by any person, event, or past event.

Seeing as humans are visual creatures, and they are influenced in this way...or rather just about everything living is influenced in some way...


You should just redefine your concept and definition of individualism

 

[Grayman]

Seeing as humans are visual creatures, and they are influenced in this way...or rather just about everything living is influenced in some way...


You should just redefine your concept and definition of individualism

Isn't that basically what she said?

 

[ummidk]

Isn't that basically what she said?

Yea and I believe he was saying by that definition the term "individualism" becomes meaningless.

 

[TimeAsylums]

Isn't that basically what she said?

Yea and I believe he was saying by that definition the term "individualism" becomes meaningless.

^

 

[doncarlzone]

Does the concept of an individual exist?

For me, no. Individualism would require that one be completely uninfluenced by the world around him/her and that their wants and cognitive process are unadulterated by any person, event, or past event.

Why would it require one to be completely uninfluenced by the world? Without influence from the world, vision, hearing and life could not exist. As pointed out by TimeAsylums, influence has to be accepted as a part of individualism in order for it to exist.

Once we accept that, then we can discuss how much influence one should accept, taken everything that we know into consideration. What is the purpose of individualism? I think for me it's seeking the truth behind your unconscious desires. Acknowledging the origins of your influences and attempt to influence those same influences with newly found reasoning. Somewhere there I suppose individualism could be.

Interesting question.

 

[inhibitions]

There are many truths to the statements above. Once again, this is a nice place to talk about such things.

Yes, humans are individuals, in the sense that they are unique from each other. I guess I'm just being a stickler to a personal definition.

On a scale of 0 to 100, how would you rank yourself as an individual? Factor in the copious influences in the modern world, your upbringing, and the traits of others you adapted for yourself. A person is the sum of all their parts. Maybe you're an individual because of all of the parts? I wouldn't know. It's all subjective jambalaya in here (but a tasty jambalaya, nontheless.)

 

[Grayman]

Yea and I believe he was saying by that definition the term "individualism" becomes meaningless.

She said that too and I believe that was the point she was trying to make.

 

[Grayman]

Why would it require one to be completely uninfluenced by the world? Without influence from the world, vision, hearing and life could not exist. As pointed out by TimeAsylums, influence has to be accepted as a part of individualism in order for it to exist.

Once we accept that, then we can discuss how much influence one should accept, taken everything that we know into consideration. What is the purpose of individualism? I think for me it's seeking the truth behind your unconscious desires. Acknowledging the origins of your influences and attempt to influence those same influences with newly found reasoning. Somewhere there I suppose individualism could be.

Interesting question.

This first question is a good one but you are not correct on where you say you agree with Time Asylum. Not needing definition is not the same as not existing.

Besides that is what she said in the OP. She believes that individualism does not exist based on the same reasoning as TimeAylum.

 

[BigApplePi]

On a scale of 0 to 100, how would you rank yourself as an individual?

100 in the sense of being unique; zero in the sense every part of me is duplicated more or less in some other.

 

[doncarlzone]

This first question is a good one but you are not correct on where you say you agree with Time Asylum. Not needing definition is not the same as not existing.

Not sure I understand what you mean by "not needing definition". It is true that the definition of individualism in the OP which I elaborated on could exist abstractly. I just disagree with the definition.

 

[nightstreaking]

Individualism would require that one be completely uninfluenced by the world around him/her and that their wants and cognitive process are unadulterated by any person, event, or past event.

I can see why you would say this, but it is precisely these influences (which are unpredictable in their distribution) that differentiate one person from another. (Have you ever heard people say how everyone has a ~story~ that makes them who they are?) There is variety in the outcome even if it isn't present in the process. Unless you don't want to be like everybody else and would like to remain an observer--a blank canvas--this is how you earn your status as an individual.

(^I believe that's the general view on the topic? idk :3)

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Individuality exists simultaneously with its opposite. This is basically another manifestation of free will vs determinism. Compatibilism ftw.

subjective jambalaya

[bimgx=400]http://cl.jroo.me/z3/9/y/8/d/a.baa-Obama-Not-Bad.jpg[/bimgx]​

 

[Cognisant]

Free will is nonsense, why should the laws of physics cater to our self of self determination?

We're statistical analysis engines with biased outputs, in other words you do what you do because you think it's the right thing to do based on your awareness of the situation and your understanding of how your actions may influence it, without more information there is nothing else to act upon.

Put simply, free will? Free of what?

As for the OP BAP beat me to it, individuality is an ill defined notion.

 

[Brontosaurie]

i express my individuality by rejecting the individualism of today.

as for the theoretical and etymological incoherence of the concept, i agree with OP.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Put simply, free will? Free of what?

More like "free to ___"

 

[SpaceYeti]

My favorite individuals are goths (I'm old, I think emo over-rode goth, or something); The people who are such individuals, so unique, that they all dress alike.

Individuality as "I am me and not someone else" is patently true, whereas individuality as "I'm a unique butterfly" is pure BS. Everybody is very similar to others who could be grouped together based on those similarities.

 

[Cherry Cola]

yeah

Take Hipsters, they are an obvious attempt to milk the concept of eccentricity for social pts. I think they are my favourites!

 

[Absurdity]

Can't find the quote I read earlier this week but it went something like this:

"The greatest part of the snowflake analogy for uniqueness is that it can only be seen at a near-microscopic level and even then, as they fall, they still end up clumping together in a large, formless, white mass."

 

[Grayman]

So I'm not as weird as the spelling weird! Good to know.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

"The greatest part of the snowflake analogy for uniqueness is that it can only be seen at a near-microscopic level and even then, as they fall, they still end up clumping together in a large, formless, white mass."

Reminiscent of agent-based modeling. Flocks of birds, schools of fish, swarms of flesh-eating locusts...

 

[Madoness]

For me at least individualism is quite influenced by world around, though it stands up in situations where it is questioned, are you being an individual in situations not in favor of your view or being a being in a flock not standing up of your views.

Sent from my GT-S7710 using Tapatalk

 

[BigApplePi]

May I speak for you???

Here is a strange thing: We want to be individual enough so we are recognized as us and not someone else yet if we want to be with a group we want to have the entrance qualifications even if they are the same as everyone elses.

 

[Analyzer]

Individuality is strected to the point of what you consciously have control of. Using communication like natural languages we can acknowledge certain givens like "I" or "You".

 

[Nachtus01]

The OP asked, "Does the concept of an individual exist?".

The answer is yes, the concept does exist, as this conversation could not happen without the concept.
Problem solved.

 

[Grayman]

May I speak for you???

Here is a strange thing: We want to be individual enough so we are recognized as us and not someone else yet if we want to be with a group we want to have the entrance qualifications even if they are the same as everyone elses.

Being the focal point of a double standard is what individualism is all about, is it not?

 

[Grayman]

The OP asked, "Does the concept of an individual exist?".

The answer is yes, the concept does exist, as this conversation could not happen without the concept.
Problem solved.

Is it concrete? No, since you are just a part of my imagination. You may be an individual neuron in my brain though.

 

[Grayman]

Individuality is strected to the point of what you consciously have control of. Using communication like natural languages we can acknowledge certain givens like "I" or "You".

And what is it you 'think' you have control of?

 

[Rook]

The question is quite thought provoking, and it can be argued both ways. At first I was going to state that an individual exists, due to different subjective experience etc.

But yet: We can only live through our own minds, not through that of others. The existence of an individual consiousness requires the existence of other individual consii(Implementable?), so that an individual can be defined as an unique component in a collection of unique components. Yet we only have one consiouness, one unique component. Thus I am not an individual, but the whole, due to the fact that the universe I see is determined by my subjectivity. Furthermore one cannot attach an anthropocentric term such as "individual" to a random collection of atoms, as we are. The brain shall rot, the eyes shall close, yet the atoms exist onwards. These atom that made up the "individual" still exist after he decays, thus he never was individual, merely a brief construct.

 

[Analyzer]

And what is it you 'think' you have control of?

That is the main question. A lot of people invoke pragmatism and ethical arguments to draw the line.

Like I was saying we use languages to determine "you" and "I" in everyday communication and discourse. Even if in the deepest sense we understand its impossible to distinguish these characteristics we do acknowledge them rationality.

I am of the opinion we have control of we constitute as our property, so our body. Property is something that is scarce. Our outsourcing of our cognition through technology is not really a something we have direct ownership of. It's sort of like intellectual property. Does intellectual property really exist. Are ideas scarce?

At the end of day if you get really into it, we would endlessly dwell in discussions philosophy of the mind.

 

[Grayman]

That is the main question. A lot of people invoke pragmatism and ethical arguments to draw the line.

Like I was saying we use languages to determine "you" and "I" in everyday communication and discourse. Even if in the deepest sense we understand its impossible to distinguish these characteristics we do acknowledge them rationality.

I am of the opinion we have control of we constitute as our property, so our body. Property is something that is scarce. Our outsourcing of our cognition through technology is not really a something we have direct ownership of. It's sort of like intellectual property. Does intellectual property really exist. Are ideas scarce?

At the end of day if you get really into it, we would endlessly dwell in discussions philosophy of the mind.

So does someone without any connection with their body cease to be an individual?

 

[Analyzer]

So does someone without any connection with their body cease to be an individual?

whats an example of that?

 

[Grayman]

whats an example of that?

A coma as an extreme example but being paralyzed from the neck down or even being blind and deaf, which happens.