I think human beings are inevitably collective or communitarian, so the question is not whether people are going to be individualistic or communitarian, but what kind of communities they're going to have. The intellectual side of this necessity is embodied in languages, which to a large extent determine not only what we think but what we _can_ think. As Nietzsche said, "God is in the grammar."
I agree, we're totally wired for connection and communion (in the non-religious sense). "Whether people are going to be individualistic or communitarian" is not a question of mine. But connection does not imply codependence, nor does communion imply incapacity for solitude or independent thought. Yes, language constricts what we can think *to the extent that we think with language*. Which, all told, is the minority case except for people who do nothing much but sit and run stories through their heads. Great example: what's going through your head while playing a video game?
I think human beings are inevitably collective or communitarian, so the question is not whether people are going to be individualistic or communitarian, but what kind of communities they're going to have. The intellectual side of this necessity is embodied in languages, which to a large extent determine not only what we think but what we _can_ think. As Nietzsche said, "God is in the grammar."
I agree, we're totally wired for connection and communion (in the non-religious sense). "Whether people are going to be individualistic or communitarian" is not a question of mine. But connection does not imply codependence, nor does communion imply incapacity for solitude or independent thought. Yes, language constricts what we can think *to the extent that we think with language*. Which, all told, is the minority case except for people who do nothing much but sit and run stories through their heads. Great example: what's going through your head while playing a video game?