Once you admit that the individual is merely a means to serve the ends of a higher entity called society or the nation, most of those features of totalitarian regimes which horrify us follow of necessity. From the collectivist standpoint, intolerance and brutal suppression of dissent, the complete disregard of the life and happiness of the individual, are essential and unavoidable consequences of this basic premise; and the collectivist can admit this and at the same time claim that his system is superior to one in which the

Summary

individual is regarded as a free and autonomous being. This quote highlights the dangers and consequences of collectivist ideologies, suggesting that when individual rights and freedoms are subordinated to the needs and goals of a larger entity, such as society or the nation, totalitarian regimes emerge. It argues that in a collectivist system, intolerance, repression, and disregard for individual well-being are inevitable outcomes. Furthermore, it implies that such regimes justify these actions by claiming the superiority of their system, compared to one that values the autonomy and happiness of the individual.

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