In Which the Earnest Philosopher is Waylaid upon his Course by Reflections on “Rugged Individualism”

Reflections on Rugged Individualism

I’ve thought of making business cards. They would read simply –

DIRTSMITH

Anthropologist

It should probably be “Philosopher” instead. But that feels too obnoxious. (Actually I want to make several with different descriptions – Artist, General Laborer, etc. – so that I could provide the proper card for the pertinent context). Nevertheless, pretentious as it sounds, if I had to self-identify with a single noun, it would be philosopher.

What in the Hell is a Philosopher?

Well, nothing particularly special. I think all humans are philosophers to one degree or another. By that I mean that all humans experience, reflect on their experiences, and look for patterns that help allow them to create a map of the web of experience that IS their existence.

Some engage in this practice consciously and intentionally. Some are especially curious – they go out of their way to explore as many experiences as they can first hand, try to learn about other experiences that are inaccessible, and then explore those special elements of culture (i.e – everything that humans create) that we have developed as tools to help refine our maps of our cosmos – particularly math, science, history, and the arts. Humans with these characteristics are more philosophical than others.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are good philosophers. I think a good philosopher requires a few additional traits:

• Perceptive Acuity
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Imagination
• INTEGRITY

Reflections on Rugged Individualism

Integrity

That last bit, integrity, is crucial. Our standard usage of the term seems to be something like “doing the right thing even when it costs you something.” I think that mostly gets to the point, except that the “right thing” is pretty subjective.

That subjectivity presents a bit of an interpersonal problem between my parents and I. They are very devoted Christians, and their experience of Christian teaching has formed their concepts of “the right thing”. When my actions deviate from those specified prescriptions and proscriptions, they interpret it as a lack of integrity. This is both irritating and sad.

I’m a human animal, so of course I fail to live up to any standard. But I don’t think it’s fair to question the integrity of another person on the basis of their adherence to your standard of specific behaviors.

Honesty

My distilled concept of integrity is honesty. (And a – sort of – opposite to integrity then would be hypocrisy).

First and foremost, it’s honesty with oneself. That requires self-exploration, and coming to terms with all the parts within ourselves that we do not admire. These are parts that fail to meet our own standards (whether they be internalized from external sources, or synthesized individually). It means seeing them and owning them.

It also requires some degree of honesty with others.

That part is a bit trickier. I used to believe that deception was the root of all evil. Partially this came from the “teachings” of my favorite philosopher, Diogenes. Plato described Diogenes as “Socrates gone mad,” because he applied similar social criticism of society and convention, but in a far more stringent manner. But by invoking Socrates in his description, Plato’s clearly expresses his respect.

Diogenes was specifically concerned with exploring the distinction between –

• That which the human individual does because it is necessary
• That which the human member of society does simply because it’s what everyone else around them happens to be doing

Reflections on Rugged Individualism

Icons of Rugged Individualism

Americans are hilarious. We have a celebrated social concept of the “Rugged Individualist,” which many claim to represent. I did a Google image search using the term “rugged individualism,” and this popped up. I really couldn’t have hoped for anything better –

Ted Nugent is fun! As a self-proclaimed icon of Rugged Individualism let’s consider him as one of its representatives.

Shall we explore his legendary Ruggedness?

Behold! His Rugged Residence! (If you dare!)

Clearly this home is suitable for only the toughest and most rugged of men!

Marvel at the Uniqueness of his Individualism!

A google image search will typically yield pictures of Nugent sporting blue jeans and cowboy hats (or maybe ball caps) – thusly clad in the iconic costume of Individuality, we solemnly bear witness as he clearly establishes his unique personhood!

Reflections on Rugged Individualism

Tedly Nugentry

In all seriousness, Ted Nugent is a run-of-the-mill successful white male. He plays very basic rock & roll music that fearlessly treads well-trodden territory, observes all boundaries with due courtesy, and simply will not stop until it is convinced that it has left no stones turned.

But I must be fair. He emphatically expresses his individuality in precisely one statement: While he approves of the “shirt” in principle, the man radically opposes the concept of sleeves. In the olden times he would just ruggedly cut them off. But now he eschews the off-the-rack look, preferring the pampered, bespoke luxury of custom crafted and tailored attire.

And sadly, I guess he does cave to the pressure to wear sleeves when speaking at political rallies.

In my view, Ted Nugent lacks self-awareness. I can’t really comment on his integrity. Maybe he’s just stupid? Or lazy? (Believe it or not, I am placing zero value judgment on those qualities – either option is far superior to a lack of integrity, to which I assign an emphatically negative judgement).

At any rate I feel confident discounting him as a “good philosopher.” So, it would probably be unwise to turn to him for useful commentary on the human experience. Which of course means that many will.

Reflections on Rugged Individualism

Rugged Individualism (For Realsies)

At this point, I’d like to absolve from criticism those folk who live by their wits and mettle on the fringes of society with minimal interaction and dependence thereupon. And I do acknowledge the existence of certain cultural expression that are common to this lifestyle, which are tried, true, and embraced out of functional necessity. (So if you are one of these people, thank you for your time. You are dismissed).

But these very same cultural expressions become iconic symbols, costumes, and masks which are donned by others WITHIN society to project their false self-image as rugged individualists.

A good way to judge a rugged individualist is by their popularity (or lack thereof), and by their willingness to persevere in spite of rejection by society. A rugged individualist has extraordinary courage and conviction, and self-expresses in ways that are distinctly unpopular. That’s pretty much the definition of “individualism;” if you are expressing ideas that are popular, even within a significant subset of society that forms you personal community, it’s hard to make an argument that you are an “individualist.” And if you give up or opt out of existence, it’s hard to argue “ruggedness.”

So, the path of a true Rugged Individualist is, well, rugged. This sort of person must be able to sustain a sense of purpose and wellbeing that bubbles up from some indwelling spring, and continue to express their individuality while ruggedly standing up to the rejection they suffer at the hands of those around them.

Collective Rugged Individualism?

Self-styled “Rugged Individualists” prefer to band together for mutual support and reinforcement of their unique personhoods. This is logical, because how else would anyone even notice their individualistic ruggedness?

In my opinion, when it comes to those expressing themselves within the context of a supportive community, I think the closest thing to rugged individualists are members of:

• The smallest minority groups
• Suffering the greatest abuse from the dominant society around them
• Persevering without external support from advocates within the mainstream

And of course, these are the last people that self-styled “Rugged Individualists” would salute.

This is why I laugh whenever I hear that phrase! (Generally I have found laughter a preferable response to engagement with society than say, anger or grief).

Back to Diogenes

To reiterate, Diogenes was concerned with distinguishing:

• What the human individual does by necessity

From –

• What the human member of society does because everyone else around them happens to be doing it (i.e. by convention)

Lacking a term for this critical perspective, I shall call it “Diogenes’ Razor.”¹

Applying this critique to life in Athens, Diogenes observed little activity that was conducted out of necessity, and a whole lot of time, energy, and activity dedicated to addressing the whims of convention.

Reflections on Rugged Individualism

The Birth of the Rugged Individualist

To my knowledge, Diogenes was the first recorded Rugged Individualist.

After taking stock of the culture around him and concluding that the vast bulk of it was unnecessary to his human fulfillment, he simply discarded it. This amounted to pretty much everything. He kept only whatever clothing he had on his back that he required to protect himself from the elements. And he also figured he needed a bowl to hold food and water, so he kept that. That is until one day he saw a slave boy drinking water from his hands, whereupon he smashed the bowl.

From that point on he pretty much spent his time savoring the simple but fulfilling pleasures of his human existence. He also enjoyed mocking the people of Athens for their stupid and dishonest activity, brazenly flouting arbitrary social conventions, and making a general nuisance of himself. He would additionally engage in stunts, like carrying a lit lantern in the daytime. When asked why, he would reply that he was looking for an honest man.

While his insight, wit, and intellect ensured him the friendship of Plato and the other Athenian philosophers, the general population of Athens held him in contempt. Interestingly, while they had killed Socrates for asking difficult questions and leveling pointed criticism, they didn’t trouble themselves with Diogenes. Probably because almost no one was interested in treading the rugged path of individualism that truly rigorous social criticism implied. Despite his manifestation as an Unbearable Being of Lightness, I think he somehow avoided death at the hands of his society simply by virtue of being so outlandishly unbearable and so absurdly light that he was incomprehensible.

So instead they settled for insults. They called him Kynos – Dog.

Canine Virtue

Diogenes reflected on that epithet and, unsurprisingly, recognized that only by convention could anyone be insulted by comparison to a dog. After all, the dog is a creature of great virtue and few faults; the dog is courageous, loyal, and ever vigilant to danger. The dog is not wasteful. The dog doesn’t bother itself with luxuries and fancy nonsense. It is not fussy or particular about what it eats or where it sleeps, or when or where or how or with whom it performs any of those functions necessary to its contented existence. The dog is cheerful and good natured. And the dog is honest.

Thus, Diogenes proudly took the dog, Kynos, as his personal symbol and badge of honor. Those (very few) philosophers convicted to follow his reasoning towards their indicated conclusions were collectively referred to as Cynics. (This is a great name – it communicates a lot of information through a simple metaphor).

The Stoics

The myriad virtues of Cynic Philosophy were apparent to many who, while agreeing in principle, were not quite so rugged as Diogenes, and continued to live somewhat more conventional lives. These came to be called Stoics. (A “stoa” is just a covered walkway. Apparently that’s where these guys would hang out and talk. “Stoic” is a terrible name – it tells you literally nothing about them).

The Stoics were basically Cynics who behaved in a more socially sanctioned fashion. Thus the Roman poet Juvenal astutely observed, “a Stoic is a Cynic wearing pants.”²

Some twenty-four centuries later, the principles of Stoic Philosophy are still pursued and celebrated. The term “stoic” itself is a compliment reserved for those rugged individuals who can endure hardship with grace and fortitude.

Meanwhile, the term “cynic” is used insultingly to describe someone who believes that all people are only motivated by selfishness, and devoid of compassion or altruism.

Alas, society is always and everywhere a stupid phenomenon.

As I struggle to identify the moral of this story, I think it might be something like –

“If you’re not wearing the costume, nobody can understand what you are saying.”

Reflections on Rugged Individualism

Time and Spacetime

Lol. Trying to capture and share a unified philosophical perspective is hard. I wrote the above heading this morning because I had set out with the purpose to discuss my thoughts on time. Obviously I didn’t even come close. I guess I just ran out of time…

1. Riffing on the theme of Occam’s Razor, distinguishing between two options and cutting away the one that is unnecessary ↩︎
2. Loosely translated from the Latin ↩︎