Individualism vs Community

A Selfie with Felix Adler

Because of the work that I am doing on the Bibliography of Ethical Culture, I have had the opportunity to read some of the early works of leaders in the Ethical Culture Movement.  One theme that tends to appear over and over again is the distinction between individualism and community.  That is, while Ethical Culture is based on strong commitments to freedom of conscience for the individual and and the right of all humans to be treated with dignity and respect for their inherent worth, there is an equally strong counterpoint that no individual singly and on their own can succeed in becoming the better person that we all strive to be.  The latter achievement requires accepting and working within relationships in family, Ethical Society, and community to come to understand the right way to live and work in those relationships.

The divergence of these ideas can be a fairly tough knot to untangle, especially (and perhaps ironically) for the single thinker.  Nevertheless, I want to become that better person, so I do spend a fair bit of time trying to untangle that knot.  Here's what I think I know:

• Freedom of conscience allows each individual to reach their own conclusions about what to believe about whatever matters matter in their world.  If one's concern is how humans came into existence, one has an abundance of explanations for that existence to choose from.  Those who follow the Abrahamic religions tend to think that the first man and first woman were created by a supernatural and omnipotent being in a Garden.  Other traditions in the Americas, Africa, and Asia offer other explanations.  Darwin's theory of evolution was shaking the foundation of a number of belief systems from the middle of the 19th century, offering a different explanation of human existence based on science and material evidence.  In his founding address, Felix Adler asserted "Believe or disbelieve as ye list; we shall at all times respect every honest conviction."  Many who belong to the Ethical Culture Movement are non-theists, but there is strong culture within Ethical Culture that respects those who do have theistic beliefs both within and outside of our Movement.  
• One reason why I found Ethical Culture as I was looking for a "like-minded" community was the realization that both organized atheists and organized humanists asserted their non-theism as their only positive belief and spoke in demeaning terms about those who had theistic beliefs.  I didn't like the negative emptiness that seemed to be their belief, and I really didn't like the hate speech that came out as opposition to the "honest convictions" of others.  While I don't follow the belief systems practiced by any of the world's major (and minor) religions, I do not care to be among those who attack the believers as somehow inferior for having those beliefs.  Fortunately, I found a footnote that referenced Ethical Culture and so found a like-minded and like-hearted community.
• The inherent dignity of each individual person--regardless of "value" or "character"--is essential to the ECM.  This includes everyone regardless of color, creed, national origin, gender, ability, etc.  That worth requires that we act in a manner that respects it and the person who carries it.  Even if we don't like them.  Even if we don't believe what they believe.  Even if we don't like what they do.  
• "Worth" and "dignity" seem to be used interchangeably, with "dignity" being a more modern term.  "Dignity" is also echoed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• "Value" is typically distinguished from "worth," being something that might increase or be compared from one person to another.  "Worth" simply is.  
• Respecting the worth of another person may imply a minimum standard of courtesy for all interactions, but it definitely precludes anything that is harmful or disrespectful.

Both freedom of conscience and inherent dignity/worth relate to individuals.  I have freedom of conscience.  I have inherent worth.  But so do others, which implies that I  should respect their beliefs and their dignity as a person--just as they should respect mine.  This leads rather quickly to the matter of relationships and how we treat each other.  Ethical Culture goes further, however, to value the various relationships in which we find ourselves, requiring us not only to act properly within those relationships but to consider that the relationships are an opportunity to learn about ourselves as well as others and to grow in the direction of better and more Ethical behaviors.  As we are a spouse, we should seek to become better spouses.  As we are siblings or children or parents, we should work to become better in those roles.  Similarly in our community lives as students or workers or citizens.  Each relationship requires more of our effort to become the best we can be in those roles because our roles affect the others with whom we are in relationship.

Relationships become, then, the tool that we use to become better persons.  It is not enough to isolate ourselves to study ideas and the facts of science or history.  Where there are no relationships, there are (it seems) no Ethics.  It is when we interact with others that our Ethics are applied and tested.  Where they succeed, we succeed.  Where they fail, we learn what not to do and try to do better.  In this way (it seems), community is essential to Ethical Culture because it is in our community that we learn from (and with) each other and grow together.  In this way, the freedom and worth of the individual becomes  whole only in community.

Or so it seems to me.  What do you think?