‘You do you’ is the mantra of western society. The technical term is expressive individualism – the almost sacred right of every person to find out what aids their flourishing and to do that, even if it comes at the expense of other people.
It’s a project seemingly full of promise. Full of personal growth. And it’s built on the philosophical assumptions of the past couple of hundred years, in which communities – particularly family and faith communities – are viewed as restrictive and damaging to your flourishing as an individual.
But Steve McAlpine asks, what if the ideas or values we feed ourselves with, all designed to help us flourish and grow, are actually making us fade and wither? What if, in our search to figure out how best to move ourselves forward, we’re taking a huge step backwards? What if what we hoped would help us is actually as toxic to society as WEED-killer?
In this sixth episode of Delorean Philosophy Steve McAlpine explores how social values can have unforseen consequences.
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