← Back to Concept Index
individual-freedom-vs-collective-security
The debate centers on balancing the right of individuals to act freely with the need to protect the community from external threats and internal dissent.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Dispossessed (1974)Ursula K. Le Guin
Chapter 12
In Chapter 12 of The Dispossessed, a contentious council debate unfolds over a proposal by Bedap's Syndicate of Initiative to allow a small group of Urrasti settlers, calling themselves the Odonian Society, to come to Anarres. The council grapples with fears of political and cultural contamination, the risk of losing the anarchist experiment, and the tension between individual freedom and collective security. Shevek introduces the idea of sending an Anarresti to Urras, highlighting the individual's right to initiate harmless action despite societal restrictions.