Individualism is a key tenant of classical liberalism and
libertarianism. But there is a fine line between true
individualism, what some call personalism, and false
individualism. As Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn noted in several of
his works, the word ‘person’ is derived from the Etruscan
phersú, the mask actors wore which represented their
nontransferable roles on stage. Thus, the person is unique and
is not replaceable. Interestingly enough, individu is a term of
abuse in French. Personalism includes all aspects of the
individual – his philosophy, faith, culture, relationships. What
makes up Man is more than simple isolation from all external
factors. Comradeship, friendship, love, brotherhood, family –
these are all external, immaterial values that nonetheless
define the very inner nature of all of us. False individualism,
on the other hand, was the philosophy first propagated by some
classical liberals that stated that the Individual was
“everywhere in chains.” Man must be uprooted from all
institutions and