What Twenty-Nine Worldviews Taught Us About Each Other/Lesson 5 of 9

The Modernity Myth — When Doesn't Matter

~12 min

Learning Objectives

▸Debunk the "modernity → individualism" assumption with data
▸Identify what actually predicts communalism (subsistence mode)
▸Explain why non-findings matter as much as positive findings
▸Articulate the Jainism paradox: ancient yet maximally individualist

We expected older traditions to be more communal and newer ones more individualist. The data demolished this hypothesis completely.

Why This Matters

The Enlightenment, liberal democracy, industrial capitalism — surely all of this pushes newer traditions toward individualism? Wrong. ρ = +0.170, p = 0.474. No meaningful relationship. None.

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