eg elian ▁Canadian ▁ideal ism . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁dem ocr atic ▁social ism ▁seemed ▁to ▁be ▁in ▁retre at ▁with ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁New ▁Right – in sp ired ▁govern ments ▁that ▁challeng ed ▁and ▁und erm ined ▁the ▁mixed ▁economy ▁and ▁w elf are ▁state . ▁ ▁Political ▁theories ▁Mac ph erson ' s ▁best - known ▁contribution ▁to ▁political ▁philosophy ▁is ▁the ▁theory ▁of ▁" poss ess ive ▁individual ism ", ▁in ▁which ▁an ▁individual ▁is ▁conce ived ▁as ▁the ▁sole ▁propriet or ▁of ▁his ▁or ▁her ▁skills ▁and ▁ow es ▁nothing ▁to ▁society ▁for ▁them . ▁These ▁skills ▁( and ▁those ▁of ▁others ) ▁are ▁a ▁comm od ity ▁to ▁be ▁bought ▁and ▁sold ▁on ▁the ▁open ▁market , ▁and ▁in ▁such ▁a ▁society ▁is ▁demonstrated ▁a ▁self ish ▁and ▁un ending ▁th irst ▁for ▁consumption ▁which ▁is ▁considered ▁the ▁cru cial ▁core ▁of ▁human ▁nature . ▁ ▁Mac ph erson ▁spent ▁most ▁of ▁his ▁career ▁batt ling ▁these ▁prem ises , ▁but ▁perhaps ▁the ▁greatest ▁single ▁ex position ▁of ▁this ▁view ▁can ▁be ▁found ▁in ▁The ▁Political ▁Theory ▁of ▁Poss ess ive ▁Ind ividual ism , ▁where ▁Mac ph erson ▁exam ines ▁the ▁function ▁of ▁this ▁particular ▁kind ▁of ▁individual ism ▁in ▁Hob bes , ▁Harr ington ▁and ▁Lock e ▁( and ▁several ▁writers ▁in ▁between , ▁including ▁the ▁Lev ellers ) ▁and ▁its ▁resulting ▁per vas iveness ▁throughout ▁most ▁liberal ▁literature ▁of ▁the ▁period . ▁An ▁av owed ▁social ist ,