1. Individualism and Collectivism
The Social Theories of Human co-habitation

2. Individualism
Defined as a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.
Individualism favors the rights of the Individual over the rights of the collective
Individualism is one possible foundation of ideology and is a foundation in particular of liberalism, the prevailing ideology in Western democracy.

3. Individualism manifests in society Through:
Rule of Law
Individual rights and freedoms
Private property
Economic freedom
Self-interest
competition

4. Rule of law
What does the rule of law mean? It means that everyone is subject to thelaw; that no one, no matter how important or powerful, is above thelaw—not the government; not the Prime Minister, or any other Minister;not the Queen or the Governor General or any Lieutenant-Governor; not the most powerful bureaucrat; not the armed forces; not Parliament itself, or any provincial legislature. None of these has any powers except those given to it by law… Every Individual is equal before the law

5. Individual rights and freedoms
Individual rights and freedoms are a key principle of individualism andan important feature of liberal democracies. Examples of such rights and freedoms include freedom of religion, freedom of association, and the right to life, liberty, and the security of the person.

6. Economic freedom
On a personal level, economic freedom is the freedom to buy what you want and to sell your labour, idea, or product to whomever you wish.Markets in which consumers and businesses have free choice to buy, sell, or trade, without government interference in those transactions, are called free markets. Economic freedom for free-market entrepreneurs would mean that there were no barriers to trade for products they might want to export, and that their customers would not have to pay taxes on their purchases.
The Economic Freedom Index rates the economic freedom of countries according to the following 10 factors:
• business freedom
• trade freedom
• fiscal (tax) freedom
• degree of government regulation
• monetary freedom
• investment freedom
• financial freedom
• property rights
• freedom from corruption
Labour freedom
Canada ranked 10th out of 157 countries in 2008 by this index

7. Self-interest and competition
Supporters of individualism see economic freedom as leading to the most efficient and beneficial economy for the greatest number of people, because it encourages competition and they assume that people generally act in their own self-interest. These ideas were first promoted by 18th century. Scottish philosopher and economist Adam Smith, who saw individual self-interest as an “invisible hand” that guides individuals to contribute for the common good of everyone. In this view, the forces of supply and demand in the marketplace work to the benefit of the majority. When there is too much supply of a product, the price drops and, eventually, so does the supply. When demand is greater than supply, the price of the product rises, and more entrepreneurs enter the marketplace to profit, eventually causing supply to meet demand once again. Considered another way, each individual buyer’s desire to find the best quality product at the lowest price ensures that sellers compete among themselves to provide a variety of products at the lowest prices.

8. collectivism
Defined as: the theory and practice of the ownership of land and the means of production by the people or the state.
Collectivism follows the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it
The principles of collectivism are the foundation of ideologies such as communism and socialism.

9. collectivism manifests in society Through:
• economic equality • co-operation • public property • collective interest • collective responsibility • adherence to collective norms

10. Economic equality
While the principle of economic equality is common to all collectivist ideologies, its specific meaning varies from one ideology to another. Economic equality can mean any of the following, depending on the person or the ideology:
• People with larger incomes should pay more taxes.
• All people should earn equal wages for work of similar value.
• There should be a guaranteed annual income (GAI).
• All people should share in the wealth of the country or the world.
• People should own the means of production (factories or companies that produce goods) collectively.
• Everything should be free. There should be no private property

11. Co-operation
Co-operation can be beneficial to individuals and groups precisely because individuals are unique and have different ideas about how to do things. Co- operation is the means through which members of a group or a collective achieve their common goals. It may involve designating roles, following certain protocols for speaking, or following guidelines for decision making.
One example of collective co-operation is a co-operative. Daycare centres, health-care centres, stores, and credit unions are a few examples of enterprises that can be owned and managed cooperatively. Some of the guiding principles of co-operatives include voluntary and open membership, democratic control by members, and economic participation by members.

12. Public property
Public property is anything—land, buildings, vehicles—not privately owned by individuals. Generally speaking, public property is owned by the state or the community, and managed according to the best interests of the community. Different ideologies support the idea of public property to varying degrees. In a Communist state, all industries could be public property— controlled by the state for the common good of the collective.
According to Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto (1848), “the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.” Marx and thinkers like him argued that only workers should profit from their own labour, not employers or the owners of the companies

13. Collective interest
Collective interest refers to the set of interests that members of a group have in common. More specifically, the principle of collective interest states that while individual members may have individual interests, these interests are often better addressed by making them a common set of interests that the group can address together.
Collective interest is the basis for the organized labour movement, which began during the Industrial Revolution. As members of organized trade unions, workers were able to fight successfully for better working conditions and higher rates of pay—successes that individuals could not have realized alone.

14. Collective responsibility
Collective responsibility means holding the whole group responsiblef or the actions of individuals (or individual groups) within the group. Collective responsibility asserts that there is no individual action for which the group cannot in some way be held accountable.
Acknowledgment of collective responsibility is often made in response to deep- rooted social problems that cannot be addressed by targeting individuals or a single group. For example, campaigns against underage drinking often state that the cure for this problem must be a collective responsibility.

15. Adherence to collective norms
Groups usually impose norms, or standards, on their members as a condition of membership in the group. These norms can relate to conduct, values, or appearance. While they are voluntary, the group members generally see these standards as binding, which makes adherence to collective norms important. Sororities and fraternities, political parties, faith groups, trade unions, and professional groups all impose certain standards of conduct on their members. Living up to these standards may be considered a daily responsibility. Censorship— deliberately restricting information the public will see—is another example of the imposition of a collective norm. Many media censor themselves informally; however, some governments impose censorship on media.