One of the most common criticisms of liberalism — also known as libertarianism and the often-pejorative and vague “neoliberalism” — is that liberalism is extreme in its individualism. That is, its critics accuse liberalism of forcing its alleged victims into an “atomistic” existence separated from the communal institutions and activities that have been central to human civilization from time immemorial. A recent example comes from that relentless — some might say “repetitive” — George Monbiot at The Guardian whose latest attack is titled “Neoliberalism is causing loneliness.” Monbiot writes: There are plenty of secondary reasons for this [loneliness], but it seems to … Continue reading Must Libertarians Be Individualists?