Individualism and the 60s

One commonly heard analysis of the culture of the 1960s is that it was fundamentally about self-empowerment and thus led inevitably, not to socialism, but to libertarianism. Reason, the libertarian magazine, found a good example in the "statement of purpose" for the Whole Earth Catalog of 1968:

We are as gods and might as well get good at it. So far remotely done power and glory—as via government, big business, formal education, church—has succeeded to the point where gross defects obscure actual gains. In response to this dilemma and to these gains a realm of intimate, personal power is developing—power of the individual to conduct his own education, find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested. Tools that aid this process are sought and promoted by the WHOLE EARTH CATALOG.