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The Individualist Manifesto
By David L. Hunter
Copyright © 2000
Preamble
Man has endured hierarchical oppression for ten thousand years—since the dawn of civilization. Furthermore, man has endured organized oppression for two thousand years—since the application of intellectually dishonest philosophies. This manifesto banishes harmful philosophies, liquidates oppression, and frees individuals everywhere. Men, women, and children in every country on earth can rise with sovereign freedom—now and forever.
Everything is in the realm of existence: universes, galaxies, solar systems, stars, planets, land, water, animals, plants, microscopic organisms, and sub-atomic particles. Importantly, no entity in existence can alter its preset course except man. All other entities act in accordance with the preset mandates of nature. They lack the ability to extract the essence of a situation, conceive different scenarios, and act on that abstract thought.
Man, the individual, is the only exception. Man has total control over his destiny. He can also alter the course of nature from the sub-atomic level to the directly observable level. He alters his life and nature by means of consciousness: a volitional, conceptual faculty possessed only by man. That faculty of consciousness is man’s survival/prosperity tool.
Consciousness is an attribute of the individual. Each person possesses a large brain from which consciousness arises. However, consciousness functions only through the individual’s free choice. Thus, the mind must be free of force and coercion to think and guide one’s life. Each individual must be free to work, love, and live as he or she chooses—without external agents or authorities forcing the individual to do anything.
The Manifesto
In 1848, Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto with the help of Frederick Engels. That revolutionary manifesto circulated throughout Europe and later the world. Many influential intellectuals adopted the ideas set out by Marx. That ideological matrix spread from the pen of Marx to the mind of readers to political arenas to social systems. Within seven decades, the idea of communism was translated into an integrated social system, first established by Vladimir Lenin and later implemented by Mao Tse-Tung, Fidel Castro, and other political leaders.
In the Communist Manifesto, Marx effectively turned the working class (proletariat) against the wealth-creating middle class (bourgeoisie). Essentially, Marx asserted that the bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat by providing low wages and poor working conditions to workers. His goal was to unite workers worldwide in a revolution against the middle class, i.e., against those who held earned wealth and power. Marx advocated the use of force to rip away the wealth from the bourgeoisie. He envisioned a social system where private property no longer existed; everything would be owned communally. That is, everyone owns everything but no one personally owns anything. In short, Marx advanced the idea of communism.
Yet, 2200 years before Marx, the writer/philosopher Plato articulated a full-blown social system comprising communism. Plato asserted that rulers of such a society must prescribe jobs for its citizens to make the system work.
Other philosophers following Plato built upon his basic premises. They laid the groundwork and societal conditions necessary for communism to be accepted not just by political leaders, but by the general public. Philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, Johanne Fichte, and Georg Hegel produced works that enabled Karl Marx to create the Communist Manifesto. Upon creating it, intellectuals were prepared to accept its tenets due to the broader philosophical ideas circulating in nineteenth century Europe.
From the ideal of communism came its implementation: Communist Russia, Red China, Communist Cuba, and so on. That implementation had dramatic and long-lasting effects on civilization. For instance, individual rights were abandoned, private property was abolished, and everyone worked for the community—for the "common good". Those who worked for personal gain were systematically eliminated. What was the result? Mass slaughter of tens of millions of human beings by state machinery in the name of the "common good". History has never seen such mass murder and destruction as witnessed in the twentieth century by communistic and socialistic regimes.
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150 years after the Communist Manifesto arises the Individualist Manifesto—written at the beginning of the third millennium. This manifesto points the way to the future of life on earth. In a radical break from philosophical and political trends that dominated history, the Individualist Manifesto ushers in eight new paradigms. Those new paradigms offer bonanzas in the realm of philosophy, psychology, society, relationships, and personal well-being.
In essence, the Individualist Manifesto promotes (1) individual rights, (2) property rights, (3) capitalism, (4) business, and (5) protection-only government. Those five elements are the existential requirements that enable the individual to flourish. The philosophical requirement that enables the individual to flourish is a rational, objective philosophy. This manifesto is rooted in an objective philosophy.
Importantly, this manifesto will usher in the Age of Individualism. That new age cherishes and protects the individual rather than the group, society, or the state. The Individualist Manifesto holds the individual human being as the highest value in existence. As such, it will radically affect life on earth.
Here are eight transformations that will occur as the Individualist Manifesto sweeps planet earth:
(1) Philosophy
This manifesto will culminate in the Age of Individualism. The Age of Individualism sweeps mystical/collectivist philosophies away forever. Only valid philosophy will endure—philosophy that tangibly boosts the quality of life for the individual.
The underlying philosophy of this manifesto promotes man's survival mechanism: rational consciousness. From that base flow honest ethics, moral governments, and pleasurable art. In such a framework, both the individual and society flourish. These conditions result in clear-thinking people that voluntarily interact in free societies. That has never happened in history. However, these conditions will dominate the future.
The closest man came to fully implementing valid philosophy was during the Gilded Age of America in the nineteenth century. The eighteenth century Enlightenment spread to America. This culminated in the American Revolution and the first semi-free country on earth.
The American Revolution was a rebellion against collectivist philosophies. It upheld an individualistic philosophy first formulated by Aristotle and later evolved by Spinoza, John Locke, Adam Smith, and others. Sadly, just as this individualistic philosophy was being implemented, a new variant of mystical/collectivist philosophy was brewing. That neo-collectivist philosophy was formulated by Kant and then evolved by Fichte and Hegel. Finally, Karl Marx integrated that collectivist philosophy into a social-economic system known as Marxism or Communism.
Marx built upon a mystical/collectivist philosophy. But, this manifesto builds upon a mystic-free/individualist philosophy. And being free of mysticism, this manifesto leaves no doors open to mystics, manipulators, or usurpers to rise to power. This Individualist Manifesto marks the end of a long chain of professional deceivers, usurpers, property-rights violators, and mass murderers. Such criminal-minded people literally ruled planet Earth for millennia. Today, with the advent of the Individualist Manifesto, those harmful people are finished.
(2) Psychology
What happens when valid philosophy reaches the general population of non-philosophical people? The same thing that happens when bogus philosophy reaches the masses: it is implemented in the thoughts and actions of citizens, and in the institutions of society. This works for bad philosophy as happened with Marxism/Leninism. And it works for good philosophy as will happen as this manifesto circulates throughout the world.
When valid philosophy becomes widespread, people have a rational, honest base from which to deal with reality. Specifically, the general population will finally have an authentic method of thinking. This has major implications. One such implication is in the area of psychology.
As valid philosophy spreads across planet Earth, citizens naturally upgrade their minds. They adopt a valid method of thinking. This effectively cleans up their psychology. People of all nationalities transmute into powerful beings that have clean, healthy, efficacious minds brimming with self-esteem. Those who undergo this transformation develop a supremely efficient psychology. That psychology empowers the individual to take complete responsibility for his or her life.
Such a person thinks clearly. The person stores knowledge in one’s subconscious in the form of essentials. For example, the person abstracts the fundamental attribute of an entity and omits non-essential attributes. The person then stores that essentialized knowledge in one's subconscious, which enables quick-and-easy recall of one’s knowledge. That unfettered integrating capacity gives the individual real power to direct his or her life—without the need for external authorities, leaders, or higher powers.
Moreover, with upgraded mental powers, one’s emotional life jumps to the next level. One’s feelings and emotions flow freely and powerfully without repression or evasion. Such a supercharged emotional life lets one completely experience the joy, pleasure, and happiness available from a productive, honest life. And living such a life delivers the self-esteem needed to enjoy prosperity, romance, and happiness. As one experiences these, one becomes more motivated to be honest and productive…to experience these rewards more often. Thus arises a benevolent circle spiraling upwards in boundless prosperity and happiness—all made possible by valid philosophy and a healthy psychology.
(3) Morality
With valid philosophy and a healthy psychology comes an honest morality. What comprises an honest morality? Two things: (1) undivided honesty and (2) unyielding integrity. Those twin entities replace strategic dishonesty and pragmatic ethics for riches unknown to Citizens of Earth.
As valid philosophy sweeps the globe via this manifesto, the groundwork is set for an honest morality. And as people clean up their psychology—as they think clearly and efficiently—they grasp the value and importance of honesty and integrity. In fact, the only rational way humans can function in society is through freedom. And being honest is a crucial aspect of free interaction.
Man has to live in reality. He cannot create other dimensions in his head and force people to abide by those mind-created dimensions. Perceiving reality and acting on what one perceives constitutes being honest with reality. Acknowledging what one knows and acting accordingly constitutes being honest with self. Taking other people into account and dealing with them fairly constitutes being honest with others.
Such is the moral code for the Age of Individualism: being honest with reality, self, and others. This moral code delivers advantages to self and others. By applying undivided honesty to all one’s thoughts and actions, one will amass tremendous advantages in life. By consistently acting in accordance with reality, one can grow in power and wealth without limits. Hence, the individualist code of morality is also a code of prosperity. Those who apply undivided honesty and unyielding integrity grow in genuine power, wealth, and happiness. The alternative—strategic dishonesty and pragmatic integrity—always diminish oneself and others.
This Individualist Manifesto is a call to action. It is an appeal to the rational self-interest inherent in everyone but pursued by few. The Individualist Manifesto rejects altruistic notions that require the individual to sacrifice self for higher causes such as the environment, society, the state, or God. Yet this manifesto rejects the notion that one should pursue one’s self-interest at the expense of others. That is just another form of altruism. Rather, each person can and should live life purposefully without violating the rights of others.
What is the result of the individualist code of morality? The honesty and integrity flowing from this code will drive crime and unhappiness toward zero as individuals rationally pursue their self-interest and happiness. Life on planet Earth will transform from a sacrificial burden to a self-fulfilling bonanza—a psychological and material cornucopia.
(4) Politics
The politics of the Communist Manifesto is communism. But communism, socialism, democracy, fascism, and totalitarianism are variants of statism. That is, they are all based on the state’s use of force and coercive threats against citizens. Such political paradigms empower leaders to use force and coercion against innocent individuals—typically against the most competitive, productive individuals. State rulers do this under noble-sounding causes such as for ‘the fatherland’, ‘the commonwealth’, ‘the nation’, ‘the race’, ‘the environment’, ‘God’, ‘the consumer’ or whatever sounds good. But behind all good-sounding facades is a criminal agenda of sacrificing the producer to the destroyer—sacrificing the business mind to the criminal mind.
In reality, the prime evil in any society is the initiation of force and coercive threats. In fact, statist use of force gives leaders illicit power to rule and plunder value producers with impunity. That paradigm has plagued conscious man’s history. But that paradigm is about to change.
The politics of the Individualist Manifesto is capitalism. And capitalism is firmly anchored in the theory of individual rights and property rights. As such, no one can initiate the use of force against anyone else for any reason. A citizen’s earned property cannot be expropriated by any person, group, or government for any reason—including taxation, eminent domain, or any other political agenda. Under the politics of the Individualist Manifesto, each individual is a sovereign entity, a self-ruler with inalienable rights to one’s life and property. That means the individual cannot give up one’s rights to one’s life or property. Nobody has the moral right or legal power to take the individual’s life or seize the individual’s property.
The only way one can lose one’s property or life is if one violated the rights of others. Then, due process of law must be applied to determine the person’s guilt and punishment. In the case of infringing on other people’s property, the criminal would have to compensate his/her victims. In the case of intentional murder, justice requires that the criminal lose his/her life.
In essence, this manifesto replaces force with persuasion as the primary means of interaction among individuals.
This manifesto will usher in the age of unbridled capitalism—laissez-faire capitalism—international capitalism. As this manifesto sweeps the globe, statist regimes will vanish. In their place will arise capitalist societies. Human life will switch from being directed by the barrel of a gun to being directed by market competition and persuasion. The only legally acceptable use of force is in retaliation against those who initiate force.
What is the result? Political agendas designed to control the productive class will fade from everyone’s life. Producers everywhere will then rise to flood planet Earth with superlative values, lucrative jobs, and a plummeting cost of living. Everyone will then experience unprecedented prosperity.
Since the Age of Individualism protects individual rights, it dooms the criminal mind. When citizens recognize that the individual is the supreme value in the universe, no one will be able to rise and control, drain, or destroy the individual. Consequently, criminal-minded people will have to become productive, self-supporting citizens or perish in public ostracism.
(5) Relation to Self
As the Individualist Manifesto spreads throughout the world, a radical change will occur in one’s personal life. How will one’s personal life change? And what will drive that change?
Up to the third millennium, most philosophies and cultures had a negative impact on man’s inner life. In fact, most previous ideologies had two negative impacts on man: obfuscating his mind and advancing the ethics of altruism.
Specious philosophies and mystical ideologies have run rampant throughout conscious man’s history. Those idea systems have caused endless contradictions in most human beings, leaving many people with unresolved conflicts and inner pain. To date, nearly everyone has gone to his or her grave without explicitly understanding the nature and purpose of life. Instead, countless people have endured uncertainty and confusion. Such confusion enables corrupt leaders to rule everyone with little or no opposition.
Take for example compulsory education. Rulers of earth force the youth to go to tax-funded schools. Those rulers set the curriculum for compulsory education. But, on close examination, one realizes that thinking is not taught in these compulsory educational programs. Math, science, social studies, language, art, and history are not the same as thinking. Thinking is a philosophical subject that deals with concepts, thoughts, principles, logic, and objectivity—i.e., reason. Upon graduating from compulsory education, people lack explicit thinking skills. Many such graduates are confused about life. Most have no idea how to think; memorization is not thinking. This works out perfect for corrupt leaders and professional usurpers: an unthinking public is defenseless against shrewd leaders who ply good-sounding rationalizations and bromides.
When confusion pervades, people will readily accept the ethics of altruism. As most people are befuddled about life in general and ethics in particular, they are unable to identify the hoax of altruism. With politicians, theologians, the media, and academia constantly promoting altruism—implicitly and explicitly—citizens eventually fall for that grand hoax. They live selflessly on earth for ‘others’, ‘society’, ‘the nation’, ‘God’, or in hopes of eternal happiness in another life.
The Individualist Manifesto terminates confusion and altruism.
Upon understanding this manifesto, one holds the two keys to the future. Those twin keys are (1) the epistemology of principled thinking and (2) the ethics of rational self-interest. By grabbing those keys and unlocking the door to the future, one enters the Age of Individualism without permission or approval by anyone. One becomes a free agent—permanently—to discover the greatest life possible.
With principled thinking and rational self-interest, one articulates one's life purpose, goals, and plans. This means that one has a blueprint for one’s life. With that blueprint, one pursues meaningful goals, achieves success, and experiences abiding happiness. Thus, one grows into a mighty value rather than a diminishing entity. One lives a life beyond one's childhood dreams.
Internal conflict dissolves. Confusion ceases. Inner harmony predominates. One finally feels at ease with life; one feels appropriate to reality. One knows that one’s self is competent and worthy of experiencing happiness. One discovers through daily actions that oneself and life are good.
(6) Relation to Others
Before the Individualist Manifesto, everyone lived in mystical societies. To survive, people would accept mysticism in their dealings with others. In fact, most people anticipated mysticism when dealing with others. Moreover, many people used mysticism to becloud others. That enabled them to gain unearned advantages in relationships.
Those living in semi or completely mystical societies had abundant opportunities to exploit others. That exploitation was made possible by catering to people’s ignorance and thinking defaults by using mysticism, rationalizations, false contexts, and non sequiturs. Ironically, such exploits leave the victim praising the exploiter. The victim never realizes what happens. Examples occur in:
Everyone loses in exploitative relationships. The exploited lose values and the exploiter loses the capacity to deal with reality competently. Both move closer to psychological death, then physical death.
By ushering in the Age of Individualism, this manifesto terminates exploitative relationships.
With mystic-free individuals living in non-mystical societies, manipulation vanishes. And by upholding the individual as the highest value in existence, human beings no longer seek to exploit each another. In fact, a mystic-free psychology, honest morality, and force-free politics culminate in a new paradigm unknown to Citizens of Earth.
What is that paradigm? Honest, benevolent, value-for-value relationships replace parasitical, manipulative, and exploitative relationships. This yields premium romantic, family, friendship, and business relationships.
(7) Relation to Reality
The Individualist Manifesto radically transforms man’s relation to reality. Whereas man previously relied on mysticism to becloud or evade certain aspects of reality, this manifesto terminates mysticism. That means man is left to deal with stark reality. And since man must live in reality as opposed to made-up dimensions, he will identify and integrate reality objectively, honestly—for superlative riches, health, love, and happiness.
How will that happen? If man has relied on mystical notions for thousands of years, how will man cut through the fog of mysticism? And how will he consistently identify and act on reality?
This manifesto puts the power where it belongs: with the individual. Groups, leaders, gurus, and authorities fade into the background as the Individualist Manifesto hoists the individual into sole position of power over his/her life. That power has never been fully actualized on earth. Until now, there never has been a need for or way to implement that power.
What unleashes the power of the individual, enabling him/her to take total control over his/her prosperity, fulfillment, and life? The answer is a new mode of consciousness. That new mode is called the perfect mind.
Throughout recorded history, man has relied on the traditional mind, which functions pragmatically—scorning principles, evading reality, and using dishonesty when convenient. Philosophers ranging from the early Greek Sophists to Plato, Machiavelli, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, and modern philosophers developed the traditional mind.
Now, however, the perfect mind renders the traditional mind obsolete.
The perfect mind and individualism go together. The former is what enables the individual to prosper magnificently without the need of external authorities, leaders, or gurus. With the perfect mind, the individual flourishes. As more and more individuals evolve, the Age of Individualism will dominate planet Earth.
What is the perfect mind? It is a new conscious mode whereby one fully anchors one’s thoughts in reality and builds knowledge inductively—right up to the most abstract level of cognition. The perfect mind lets one build all knowledge from sense perception—e.g., from one’s eyes and ears—to break into wide open vistas of knowledge unknown by even the greatest minds in history. In fact, the perfect mind surpasses all mind circuitry of the past.
An important benefit of developing the perfect mind is the transformation of one’s body. Since the mind and body are integrally linked, upgrading one’s mind culminates in an upgraded body. The two work in unison. Suddenly, one has a perfect mind and body. The ultimate manual for developing the perfect mind and body is the Perfect Mind/Perfect Body Breakthrough by David L. Hunter (the Local Group, 1999, 465 pages).
Yes, the perfect mind overtakes the traditional mind to become mankind's new survival mechanism. The perfect mind, which functions through reality-based principled thinking, firmly anchors one's consciousness to reality for valid knowledge, real power, and ceaseless riches.
(8) The Goal of Life
During the fourth century BC, the Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle studied biology, physics, astronomy, epistemology, politics, and ethics. In his famous tract called Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle postulated that happiness was the moral purpose of life. However, he could not fully anchor his assertion to reality. It was a sensible idea, but it could not be defended against those who attacked man’s happiness.
Over time, anti-life people rejected Aristotle’s point and argued that man should sacrifice his life on earth for eternal happiness in another life. Since no one could thoroughly defend Aristotle’s position—including Aristotle himself—the anti-life crowd eventually won. The ethics of sacrifice and altruism began to rise in popularity during Roman culture. Through the works of the poet Virgil and later the Roman Catholic Church, the ethics of self-sacrifice almost completely replaced Aristotle’s vision of man living to experience happiness. Western Civilization had entered the Dark Ages, which was dark both in principle and in practice.
The Renaissance and Enlightenment began breaking the moral code of selflessness, beginning around 1300 AD in Western Civilization. But, to preserve their livelihoods, church leaders fought back; so did modern philosophers. Both philosophy and religion worked to undermine the ethics of self-interest and happiness. Eventually, altruism and sacrifice overtook self-interest in Europe during the nineteenth century. That same moral code spread to America early in the twentieth century.
Why would anyone preach altruism, selflessness, and sacrifice? There is only one reason: those who advocate surrendering self to society, nation, or God do so because they want to be the recipient of such sacrifice. No other reason has ever existed.
Now, in the twenty-first century, comes the Individualist Manifesto. And the ethics of individualism are starkly clear: rational self-interest with man’s happiness as the moral purpose of life.
How, in practical terms, does man achieve, retain, and expand happiness? He does this through continuous value production—by producing tradable values in the competitive marketplace. In essence, man achieves happiness by producing more net values than he consumes. Everyone benefits. Man the individual prospers, others gain from his competitive creations, and society waxes richer.
Can the ethics of self-sacrifice ever be resurrected? With the arrival of the Individualist Manifesto, selflessness cannot be revived or even practiced. For, this manifesto will usher in the Age of Individualism. That means each person acts in his or her best interest. Each person fulfills his or her biological needs—physical, psychological, and material needs. And that means rejecting self-sacrifice, which always works against one’s best interest.
The goal of life is not merely to survive; it is to prosper happily. That is accomplished by continuous value production—producing values in an area where the individual is most talented or motivated. Romantic love, artistic endeavors, and other pleasures serve to enhance man’s life and happiness like color enhances a black-and-white drawing.
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The Communist Manifesto, which was written in 1848, essentially asserts that each person’s moral obligation is to the community. That manifesto is based on the altruist premise that something outside self should be the recipient of one’s efforts. Earned rewards and property are obliterated.
In theory, all live for the benefit of all. No one lives for the benefit of self. In practice, the most productive people are forcibly sacrificed to the least productive people—or worse, they are sacrificed to destructive people. Widespread poverty results, as can only happen when incentive for personal gain is replaced by government force. Daily survival becomes the goal.
This Individualist Manifesto, which was written in 2000 AD, reveals that each person’s moral obligation is to one’s own self (and one’s dependent children). No one is obligated to others: not to one’s parents, adult children, relatives, friends, community, nation, religion, or government. Each person is a sovereign entity that is born with one and only one moral responsibility. That responsibility is to achieve abiding happiness by becoming a self-sufficient producer of values tradable in the free marketplace.
Seven decades after Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, people began implementing communist ideology. That long time-period occurred due to low-tech communication systems.
Today, in the twenty-first century, man has an arsenal of high-tech communication systems: efficient printing, broadcast radio, cellular phones, satellite television, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. These combined with traditional systems such as postal mail and word-of-mouth communication will enable this manifesto to spread rapidly. That, in turn, will inexorably free all individuals in all countries—transforming the individual into a sovereign entity to live life as he or she chooses. This is the only way the individual can achieve limitless prosperity, superb health, romantic love, and abiding happiness.
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