Introduction

Do humans act as collectives, groups, or individuals? Because of their discrete nature, humans cannot be part of a collective. When one or more individuals gather, they do not represent a single entity; yet, many commentators refer to people as “us” or “them”.

By referring to people as collectives, communicators intend to create conflicts where none should exist. War provides us with a prime example of how people use collective references to conceal conflicts between individuals. People say that Russia has gone to war with Ukraine, but the decision to conduct these wars remains the responsibility of individuals.

Collective

A collective refers to a number of elements that, together, form a single entity. Humans, due to their discrete and separate nature, cannot form a single entity that includes more than a single individual.

It represents an error in logic, therefore, to refer to any person or persons as being members of the collective. The frequent use of “us” and “them” represents a logical fallacy. Republicans and Democrats as collectives simply cannot exist. They can only exist as a group of named individuals, and seldom do you hear specific names referred to without a “collective” identity.

Group

A group consists of individual people assembled in proximity of space or agreement in thinking. People tend to gather in groups with which they share similar thoughts, beliefs, or objectives. This tendency represents a natural order found in nature.

When groups of people act in unison, that does not absolve them of their individual responsibility. Groups of people act together because they believe they share objectives. When a group performs an act that falls outside social norms or is illegal, each member of that group must recognize that they have chosen to act in accordance with their individual values. They cannot use the excuse of acting only because they are part of the group. An illegal act remains illegal no matter how many people surround you at the time.

Individual

Ultimately, the only acting force in a human system, whether an individual or a group, consists of the individual. Individuals determine their values (i.e., preferences) and act upon them.

When an individual commits a crime, goes to war, or performs a productive or charitable act, it does not matter how much company they have when they perform those actions. The decision to act must come from the individual. People act (or don’t act, which also represents an action) based on their own preferences.

When an individual has an agent who acts on their behalf, that agent will only act on the agent’s own preferences. He cannot read the mind of the person he represents. People mistakenly think that elected representatives act on the preferences of their electors; they do not and cannot. These representatives may share similar preferences, but they can never be identical. People need to realize that when they vote for an elected representative are abdicating the responsibility for their own actions. It is easier to hire a government representative to steal money from your neighbors than it is to do it yourself.

Ironically, single individuals fit the definition of a collective. More than one individual, however, cannot make a collective.

Conclusion

Because of their discrete nature, humans cannot form collectives. Humans may act in groups, but that does not absolve them of their individual responsibility.

People who argue that “they” want to harm “us” in some manner should start naming names. The people who make such claims might find that fewer people belong to “they” and “us” than they imagined.

Those people might also realize their own responsibility for what occurs in the market.