Topic > Source Analysis: Collectivism vs. Individualism

Source one demonstrates and embraces the perspective of a collectivist. The source's speaker, Chief Seattle, a prominent leader of Native American tribes, represents his collective perspective on how each of us is connected by illustrating the “web of life.” His statement indicates his main focus on how humans are creatures who must depend on others to survive. This view is placed on the left side of the political spectrum with the assumption that all people are created equal where they value group goals and the common good over individual goals and rights. The way he stated that “whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves” strongly expresses a collective perspective and that an individual's actions will not only affect themselves, but also others. An example could be global warming, which will not only affect the countries that create pollution, but everyone else is also involved and affected by this problem. People may call it the “butterfly effect,” where it is a scientific theory that describes how it is done...