What Is Individualism?

Many people hold a confused view of what individualism means. In this short talk, I seek to clarify the concept. Individualism does not mean becoming a loner or failing to help others; it does mean thinking independently and seeing the individual human being as the fundamental source of moral values. Obviously there is much more to be said on the topic, but I this was a good start for four minutes. (The original September 24 talk, delivered at a Toastmasters event, also included an introduction and ending, but those were too audience-specific to be of general interest.)

I mention the CNN debate in which Wolf Blitzer asked Ron Paul if “society” should let someone die who gets sick without health insurance; I have written on that topic elsewhere.