Antonov 1

Michal Antonov

College Park Scholars

International Studies

GVPT105S

Section 101

Dr. Glass

November 17, 2015

Collective and Individual Rights

When it comes to political ethics, the question is whether the focus should lean more

towards the welfare of the community or that of the individual. Karl Marxs The Communist

Manifesto illustrates the plight of a certain socio-economic class due to the lack of protection of

their rights. John Stuart Mill, on the other hand, advocates individual liberties and argues how

they contribute to society. However, its Alexis de Tocquevilles argument in Democracy in

America that is most realistically applicable. Individual liberties and societal equality are both

equally paramount, but its also important to note that both have to have the same amount of

focus because ultimately, one cannot exist without the other.

Society is usually divided into different factions according to different characteristics that

associate with race, religion, gender, etc. Marx displays how society is divided according to

socioeconomic factors. The class structure that he describes has been existent since the Middle

Ages. This structure was arranged so that feudal lords were at the top followed by vassals, guild-

masters, journeymen, apprentices, and then serfs. Class structure evolved since then to the point

when, according to Marx, there were only two prevalent classes standing: the Bourgeoisie and

the Proletariat.
 Antonov 2

The rise of the modern Bourgeoisie came as a result of the rise of the Industrial

Revolution. Industrial millionaires replaced the industrial middle class from the medieval

structure, and these millionaires gained significant political sway. The Bourgeoisie is

characterized solely by self-interest, and therefore use their political sway for their own political

gain. The Bourgeoisies rise to power gave way to all kinds of societal changes. Personal worth

became measured by the amount of money one had instead of personal ethics or values. The

Bourgeoisie had also changed the value of occupations; all occupations became wage-laboring

professions and obtaining a job became a competition.

The changes in the work force affected the second class that Marx talks about, the

Proletariat. As a result of the industrial world created by the Bourgeoisie, the workers live only

as long as they can find work. They depend on the capital that they gain from their labor to

provide for themselves and their families. The Bourgeoisie exploits this need for work for their

own personal gain. Because the value of the members of the Bourgeoisie class is determined by

the their monetary value, they did everything in their power to increase their capital and curb the

amount of money they spend on the factories and labor they own. They paid their workers as

little as possible and forced them to work in terrible and stifling conditions. They forced them to

work long hours with no breaks so that their manufacture rate, and profit, increased.

The exploitation of a group of people is why it is necessary to protect collective rights

and strive towards equality. There are several cases in which certain groups have their rights

infringed upon by other members of society. After the emergence of Protestantism in the 1600s,

the Catholic majority constantly persecuted those who practiced the Protestant belief. Freedom

of religion is considered to be a collective right because it affects a large group of individuals. If

this freedom is not protected, then either people will only be allowed to practice one religion or
 Antonov 3

no religion at all. As seen with the Protestants, persecution of a certain religious group can lead

to terrible inhumane acts of violence.

In Marxs case, it is the working class that is suffering the violation of their basic rights to

a good living wage and appropriate working conditions. While presenting his Communist

ideology, Marx states that, The immediate aim of the Communists is the same as that of all the

other proletariat parties: formation of the proletariat into a class, the overthrow of the bourgeois

supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat (Marx 22). Similar to religious

persecution, the exploitation of a certain class can lead to tremendous consequences. In Marxs

words, the exploitation and lack of protection of the working class and their rights could lead to a

revolution that could turn out massive in scope and bloody in scale.

Marxs perspective leads one to believe in the immense importance of collective rights.

However, as important as collective rights are they do not triumph over individual rights. There

are several liberties outlined by other philosophers and the Constitution that are essential to the

individual. In On Liberty, Mill specifically refers to the freedom of opinion and expression.

Freedom of expression is an individual right that must be protected. According to Mill, it would

be wrong to silence someone who held a particular opinion because it robs the human race,

posterity as well as the existing generation (Mill 14).

Mill states in his work that, If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one

person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one

person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind (Mill 14).

Silencing an individuals opinion is wrong for several reasons. For one, the suppressed opinion

may be true, and by discovering something true the person may have performed a great service

to his or her society. After all, dissenting opinions are often times the leading causes of great
 Antonov 4

revolutions such as the American or French Revolutions. They are also the reasons why

important works about the political and social components in society such as The Communist

Manifesto exist in the first place. Opinions must differ and be debated upon because otherwise

the meaning of the ruling opinion may be lost. For example, when religious beliefs stop being

challenged they lose their living power. People will not truly understand the doctrines they

believe in which can lead to some serious mistakes.

Mill not only stresses the importance of individual opinions, but also of the contents of

these opinions. He states,

In this age, the mere example of non-conformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to

custom, is itself a service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make

eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that tyranny, that people

should be eccentric. Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of

character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been

proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage which it

contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time

(Mill 56).

Simply put, the more eccentric the opinion the better. The amount of eccentricity of an opinion

displays the amount of individual thinking that is encouraged in a society. If an eccentric opinion

is freely expressed, it reflects on the genius and mental vigor that the society in which the

opinion exists. However, if eccentric opinions are not encouraged in a society, then it mirrors the

values that this society does and doesnt encourage.

In many regimes, freedom of opinion and expression is repressed to the point where no

one can express any dissenting opinion. Regimes like these are usually despotic and authoritarian
 Antonov 5

in nature. They are often times the regimes that have the most problems with religious

persecution and wealth inequality among their socioeconomic classes. Therefore, reducing limits

on freedom of expression can lead to great progress in human society. Most of the time its

difficult for the truth to triumph over persecution. For instance, the reformation of the Catholic

Church was put down twenty times before Martin Luther was successful. In The Communist

Manifesto, Marxs revolution of the Proletariat can only be made possible by the expression of

opinion over the oppression of the working class.

Contributing complete focus and protection to either collective rights or individual rights

is a tempting idea. When collective rights are completely protected it creates equality amongst

the people. When individual rights are protected it allows for increased free expression.

However, there is a flaw in this type of thinking. In his book Democracy in America, Tocqueville

talks about equality and personal freedoms. As much as he champions equality in society, he

acknowledges that, men may not become absolutely equal without being wholly free

(Tocqueville 584s). Equality has both a positive connotation and a negative connotation. In the

positive sense, equality refers to equal liberties among the people. In the negative sense,

however, it refers to uniformity. In a society where everyone is equal at the expense of their

personal liberties, there are no diverse thoughts and ideas because freedoms such as expression

and religion are suppressed.

The balance of equality and individual freedoms is especially important in democratic

societies. Tocqueville states that, ...democratic communities have a natural taste for freedom:

left to themselves, they will seek it, cherish it, and view any privation of it with regret. But for

equality, their passion is ardent, insatiable, incessant, invincible: they call for equality in

freedom; and if they cannot obtain that, they still call for equality in slavery (Tocqueville 587).
 Antonov 6

People living in democratic societies will attempt to achieve equality in liberty with great strides.

This is why its important for people to be the same in some ways and in other cases be

completely different. Tocqueville writes that the formation of institutions is crucial to society,

and religion is an example of such institutions. Being a member of different institutions is

important because it allows for the circulation of new thoughts and ideas. This in turn contributes

to the influence that individual rights can have over collective rights, such as freedom of religion.

However, in a society where both individual and collective rights exist, both require

limits. Collective rights should be protected but limited to the point where they dont interfere

with the rights of another group or individual liberties. While industrial tycoons should be

allowed to pursue to profit it should not be so unlimited that it could infringe on the rights of

their workers. At the same time, individuals are not completely isolated from society, and

therefore certain conduct is required in return for the protection of society. While individual

actions and expression should be encouraged, both must be limited when they harm others. In

these cases, legal persecution of opinions is allowed because it protects the safety of the majority

while still maintaining the protection of the individual right.

Collective and individual rights are both paramount to the function of society. Collective

rights protect a certain group from being targeted and oppressed, while individual rights protect

each and every member of society. There is no sense in focusing on just one concept, because

ultimately one cannot exist without the other. Individual rights encourage the spread of ideas that

influence and protect collective rights while collective rights place limits on individual liberties

to prevent any harm they may cause to others. The ultimate goal of a society is to make sure that

every group and individual has an equality of liberties.

 Antonov 7

Works Cited

De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. London: Penguin Group, n.d. Print.

Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty. N.p.: Dover Publications, 2002. Print.

Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. New York: International, 2015. Print.