Tocqueville’s Warning on Individualism and Community Bonds
In his article “Want people to go to Church? Invite them. Want them to stay? Invite them into your life,” Stiven Peter builds his case for hospitality. He references Alexis de Tocqueville’s analysis in Democracy in America, where Tocqueville coined the term “individualism.” He defined it as a sentiment that “disposes each citizen to isolate himself from the mass of his fellows and to withdraw to the side with his family and his friends.” After creating a small society for his own use, the individual “willingly abandons the large society to itself.”
Only those closest to you are of interest.
— Alexis de Tocqueville
Tocqueville argued that Americans shrugged off the social strata of aristocracy, thereby exacerbating individualism. “The thread of time is broken at every moment, and the trace of the generations fades,” he observed. “You easily forget those who preceded you, and you have no idea about those who will follow you. Only those closest to you are of interest.”
Disclaimer: Information in my “slip-box” doesn’t necessarily reflect my agreement with the source or all its content. Recording diverse perspectives helps strengthen one’s position beyond the echo chamber of like-minded thinkers. By documenting alternative viewpoints, we engage in the intellectual wrestling match that ultimately deepens our understanding.
I aspire to post one note from my “slip-box” every weekday. If you want to learn more about how to work with knowledge, click this link: What is knowledge management?
Pastor Dan Patrick, raised in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., holds both a Bible degree and a Master’s of Divinity. He has ministered across five states from coast to coast, serving in various capacities, including pastoral leadership. Dan’s primary mission is to help people love God’s Word and find their purpose in God’s work.
