Ustaarabu wowote ni mkusanyiko wa dhana kuhusu maisha, ikiwa ni pamoja na dhana za msingi, za kimsingi ambazo watu wake wanazichukulia kama vigezo, thamani na malengo bora yanayowatofautisha na wengine. Mkusanyiko huu pia unajumuisha dhana ndogo, za matawi. Miongoni mwa dhana za msingi na tofauti za ustaarabu wa Magharibi, kama ilivyotajwa hapo awali, ni dhana za ubinafsi (individualism) na uhuru (liberty). Mwanauchumi na mwanafalsafa, Ludwig Von Mises, anasema katika kitabu chake, Liberty and Property, "Kanuni tofauti ya falsafa ya kijamii ya Magharibi ni ubinafsi. Lengo lake ni kuunda eneo ambamo mtu binafsi yuko huru kufikiri, kuchagua, na kutenda bila kuzuiwa na uingiliaji wa chombo cha kijamii cha kulazimisha na kukandamiza, yaani Dola. Mafanikio yote ya kiroho na kimwili ya ustaarabu wa Magharibi yalitokana na utendaji wa wazo hili la uhuru."

Any civilization is a collection of concepts about life, including the foundational, fundamental concepts which its people consider as criteria, values and ideals that makes them distinct from others. This collection also includes secondary, branch concepts. Amongst the fundamental, distinctive concepts of the Western civilization, as mentioned earlier, are the concepts of individualism and freedom (liberty). Economist and philosopher, Ludwig Von Mises, says in his book, Liberty and Property, “The distinctive principle of Western social philosophy is individualism. It aims at the creation of a sphere in which the individual is free to think, to choose, and to act without being restrained by the interference of the social apparatus of coercion and oppression, the State. All the spiritual and material achievements of Western civilization were the result of the operation of this idea of liberty.”.

Ukweli wa dhana ya ubinafsi (individualism) ni kwamba unatokana na usekula (secularism). Dhana hii ilizaliwa pale mwanadamu wa Magharibi alipojikomboa kutoka mamlaka ya Kanisa na wafalme, ambayo yalikuwa yanaunganisha mambo na matendo yake yote ya kidunia na Akhera. Ndani ya mfumo huo, alijisikia kulazimishwa na kudhulumiwa, huku mapenzi yake na haki zake maishani zikikandamizwa. Katika zama hizo, utambulisho wake ulikuwa ukiundwa kwa mujibu wa mila na imani za jamii. Alipojiondoa kutoka mamlaka hiyo, uhusiano wake na Akhera ulikatika. Kisha akaelekeza mkazo wake wote kwenye mambo ya kidunia. Hivyo, alianza kuishi katika dunia hii na si nje ya dunia hii, kama wasemavyo. Badala yake, akawa bwana wa dunia hii. Umuhimu wa kati na mamlaka ya mtu binafsi uliimarishwa na nadharia ya haki za asili (natural rights). Nadharia hii inasisitiza kwamba mtu binafsi ana haki zake zinazotokana na maumbile yake, wakati jamii haimpi haki kama hizo. Haki hizi zimewekwa kwa ajili yake. Ni za ulimwengu wote, za msingi, haziwezi kuondolewa wala kufutwa.

The reality of the concept of individualism is that it emanates from secularism. The concept emanated when the Western man rid himself of the authority of the Church and kings, that connected all of his worldly affairs and actions to the Hereafter. Within the system, he felt coerced and oppressed, with his will and rights within life, crushed. In those times, his identity was shaped according to the traditions and beliefs of the society. When he rid himself of this authority, his connection with the Hereafter was severed. He then turned his full focus towards worldly affairs. So he started living in this world and not outside of this world, as they say. Instead, he became master of this world. The centrality and sovereignty of the individual was reinforced by the theory of natural rights. This theory asserts that the individual has his rights derived from his nature, whilst the society does not grant him such rights. These rights are fixed for him. They are universal, fundamental, inalienable and cannot be repealed.

Hivyo basi, watu huzaliwa wakiwa na haki zao za asili, yaani kuwepo kwao pamoja na haki zao kunatangulia kuwepo kwa jamii, sheria zake, kanuni zake na vikwazo vyake. Kwa hiyo, uhuru ndio msingi wa uwepo wa binadamu. Watu wote ni sawa katika haki hizi. Hakuna mmoja wao anayenyima au kufuta haki za wengine. Kwa kuwa mtu binafsi, kwa asili na kwa maumbile yake, si kiumbe cha kijamii, anakabiliwa na ugomvi, mgongano na machafuko pale anapoingia katika maisha ya kijamii. Kwa hiyo, katika hali kama hiyo lazima kuwepo na mpangilio, kwa kufanya makubaliano ya kupunguza haki za mtu binafsi kwa ajili ya jumuiya ya watu binafsi. Lengo la jumuiya hii ni kuanzisha haki ya uhuru na usawa kwa wote; yaani, mtu binafsi anakabidhi haki zake kwa mapenzi ya pamoja, yanayowakilishwa na dola, kupitia mkataba wa kijamii. Kwa njia hii, kupitia mkataba wa pamoja, mamlaka ya utawala yamekuwa taasisi ya kibinadamu inayopata sheria zake kutoka kwenye makubaliano ya udhibiti kati ya watu. Dola kisha inadhibiti haki na uhuru, yaani, dola inatekeleza mambo kwa msingi wa mapenzi ya binadamu na si kwa msingi wa mapenzi ya Mwenyezi Mungu, ambapo mapenzi ya watu binafsi ndio mzizi na msingi wa mapenzi ya pamoja.

Thus individuals are born with their natural rights i.e. their existence with their rights precedes the existence of the society, its laws, legislations and constraints. Accordingly, freedom is the foundation of human existence. Individuals are equal in these rights. None of them deprives or repeals the rights of others. Since the individual is a non-social entity in terms of origin and nature, he is subjected to quarrel, conflict and chaos in the event of socialization. So there must be an organization in such a situation by making concessions with a community of individuals. This community's objective is to establish the right to freedom and equality for all i.e. the individual concedes his rights to the collective will, embodied by the state through social contract. In this way, through mutual contract, the ruling authority became a human institution that derives its legislations from the regulatory agreement between the people. The state then regulates the rights and freedoms, i.e. the state executes upon the basis of human will and not upon the basis of divine will, where the will of individuals is the root and basis of collective will.