Rugged Individualism

In 2022, Scientific American published an article called “How a Virus Exposed the Myth of Rugged Individualism” that hypothesized that, because this is a myth, “we must invest in national policies of communal care.” It should be noted that rejection of rugged individualism on the part of the journal came after they endorsed one presidential candidate because the other candidate ‘rejected evidence and science.” 

In 2024, the Scientific American again endorsed the presidential candidate in the same party. The endorsement of national policies of communal care and presidential candidates is the opposite of endorsing rugged individualism. To me, that suggests a science journal with an agenda.

Because of the vast number of people telling us what to believe—and this is particularly true of science—I start by dismissing those with obvious agendas, particularly political agendas. I don’t look for truth with most politicians as most stick to their party’s platform.

Contrary to Scientific American, I think the COVID virus helped us rediscover something that has served Americans well, what the historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 described as “rugged individualism.” The term was further popularized by Herbert Hoover in his 1928 presidential campaign speech contrasting the “doctrines of paternalism and state socialism” with the system of “upon which we have advanced beyond all the rest of the world.”

In the 18th and 19th century the isolation of frontier conditions, including low density and remoteness, made traits such as self-reliance and regulation of behavior based on personal attitudes rather than social norms. It also includes more of a focus on work ethics and efficiency instead of viewing success as luck or help from government.

Read the full piece on Substack here.