The Evolved Meaning of Individuality Essay -- Individual Society Paper

The Evolved Meaning of Individuality The word â€Å"individual† holds an important place in today’s society. If asked the meaning of the word â€Å"individual,† a randomly chosen person would confidently reply, â€Å" an individual is one person.† Compared to the modern definition, the person would be correct. According to the most recent meaning of â€Å"individual†, as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary , is â€Å"of, pertaining or peculiar to, a single person or thing, or some one member of a class† ( OED individual 5a). If the same question were asked in the seventeenth century, a different answer would be given. In fact, the word â€Å"individual† was rarely used. Instead, the word â€Å"individuality† or â€Å"individualism† was often heard in the seventeenth century in reference to politics or religion. The seventeenth century definition of â€Å"individuality† is â€Å"the state or quality of being indivisible or inseparable.† Obviously, these two meanings differ. By exploring the political and theological meaning in the seventeenth century and comparing it to the latest meaning, centered on biology and society, we will use history to help us analyze the conflicts between the new meaning and the old meaning of individuality. The history of the word â€Å"individual† is thoroughly explained in Raymond Williams’ Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society . When returning to Cambridge University , after being absent for four and a half years in the war, Williams observed the people around him and noticed that a new language had evolved. This new language inspired Williams to try to discover why words were used more often around him after he returned from the war than they were before he left. The year 1945 marked a starting point for him to write ... ... now mentioned in biology and logic. The definition has been a positive addition to society. Works Cited Fite , Warner. Individualism Microform: Four Lectures on the Significance of Consciousness for Social Relations . New York : Longmans, Green, and Company, 1911. Kaplan, Abraham, ed . Individuality and the New Society . Seattle : University of Washington Press, 1970. Milton, John. Animadversions Upon the Remonstrants Defense, Against Smectymnuus .London : Printed for T. Underhill, 1641. Morley, Felix. Essays on Individuality . Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 1958. Oxford English Dictionary , The . Ed. J.A. Simpson and ESC Weiner. 2 nd Edition. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1989. Williams, Raymond. Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society . New York : Oxford University Press, 1976.