The Evolved Meaning of Individuality Essay -- Individual Society Paper

The Evolved Meaning of IndividualityThe word individual holds an important place in todays society. If asked the importee of the word individual, a randomly chosen person would confidently reply, an individual is one person. Compared to the modern definition, the person would be correct. According to the most recent meaning of individual, as outlined in the Oxford English Dictionary , is of, pertaining or peculiar to, a single person or thing, or some one member of a discriminate ( OED individual 5a). If the same question were asked in the seventeenth century, a different answer would be given. In fact, the word individual was rarely used. Instead, the word identity or individualism was often heard in the seventeenth century in reference to politics or religion. The seventeenth century definition of indistinguishability is the state or quality of being indivisible or inseparable. Obviously, these two meanings differ. By exploring the political and theological meaning in the s eventeenth century and study 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 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 watch 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 line 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 cognisance for Social Relations . New York Longmans, Gr een, 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.