“The social crisis unleashed in Chile in October 2019 has been interpreted as a response to the individualistic character of our society. However, what does it mean that our social order is being built from individualistic premises? Were not autonomy and individual freedom a primordial north of our politics? Whether we talk about poverty, the environment or consumerism, today the darts point to individualism as the main culprit in these problems. There is no doubt that these are pressing challenges, but the risk of this phenomenon is obvious: reduced to a mere label, the concept becomes increasingly insufficient to understand the present”.
This is the framework in which the new collective book of the Institute of Studies of Society (IES) comes to light: “Primera persona singular. Reflexiones en torno al individualismo“, in which the Doctorate in Sciences of Social Complexity Sciences (DCCS) Director, Dr. Jorge Fábrega, together with other authors, critically analyzes certain individualistic categories predominating in the contemporary world.
In addition to the DCCS researcher, Daniel Mansuy, Pablo Ortúzar, Manfred Svensson, Josefina Araos, Santiago Ortúzar, Gabriela Caviedes, Catalina Siles, and prologue Claudio Alvarado, IES executive director and editor of the book, write. Fábrega’s chapter was presented by Óscar Landerretche, an economist and academic from the University of Chile.
The activity was held at the IES headquarters, located in Las Condes. The book was presented by Consuelo Araos, academic from the Institute of Sociology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica; Gonzalo Cordero, lawyer and columnist; and Óscar Landerretche, economist and academic from the University of Chile.
Review: “With a multidisciplinary view and reviewing political, economic and cultural aspects, the essays compiled in this book seek to go beyond the moral reproach, distinguishing the absolute and unlimited sovereignty of the individual from the necessary vindication of personal freedoms. In the midst of the discussion about a new social pact for our country, reflecting on these issues is an indispensable task”.
