The later meaning of individualism—according to which the factual reality of human nature is comprised of the uniqueness of individuals' qualities and values, a uniqueness whose development and intensification are moral imperatives—this meaning of individualism is the denial of every kind of equality. For it seems inadmissible to me to construe equality from the fact that each individual is as special and incomparable as every other. That an individual is incomparable is hardly his own positive quality; rather, this arises only out of comparison with others, who are different only in the judgment of an observer who does not find in one person what he found in another.

XREF: Connects to political-philosophy distinctions between equality and individualism, intersecting with liberal-democratic theory debates. QUESTION: Worth chasing: what positive grounding for equality does the author offer if not shared uniqueness?

XREF: Connects to philosophical debates on the origins of selfhood in social comparison (e.g., Sartre's gaze, Mead's social self). DEFINE: Clarifies a specific historical meaning of 'individualism' and distinguishes it from equality-based views.

Georg Simmel, on individuality and social…, loc. 690