Even the most wretched individual of our present society could not exist and develop without the cumulative social efforts of countless generations. Thus the individual, his freedom and reason, are the products of society, and not vice versa: society is not the product of individuals comprising it; and the higher, the more fully the individual is developed, the greater his freedom - and the more he is the product of society, the more does he receive from society and the greater his debt to it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People grow because of society, not the other way around.
- In plain terms
- Society makes us who we are, not just us making society.
- What can you take from it?
- Our freedom comes from the help of others.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who is more important, the person or the group?
- How much of you comes from others?
Another view
Some cultures place higher value on individual creation than collective influence.
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