Societal extremes

It would seem that on a societal level, some kind of balance between the "and" and the "or" is most conducive to the public good.   An extreme manifestation of the "and", to the exclusion of the "or", was evident in Soviet society.  There, the selfish individualism of capitalism was decried as all supposedly labored for the common good.  Of course, it is part of the human condition that every man (and woman) wishes to excel, to stand out, whether materially or otherwise.  The wish to excel, whether it is through gaining material wishes, being a good wife, winning the approval of one's peers, is part of the human condition.  Thus, the "or" cannot be suppressed, even in a collective society.  In Soviet society, one of its few outlets was through rising within the communist party.   However, as we have all seen, the suppression of the "or" resulted in a listless impoverished society, not only in the Soviet Union, but throughout much of Eastern Europe. And the attempted suppression of individual motivation instead resulted in individual anger, in the form of anger towards the state.  For in the end, the "or" could not be suppressed, and there were few if any individuals ready to defend the state.  Thus, suprisingly, "communism" died a peaceful death.
The other extreme appears to be the Ayn Rand selfish individualism described by Maureen Dowd in her column today.  There, the "or" is predominant, or at least appears to be, as every man is out for himself, feeling no responsibility for the welfare of his fellow human beings. But the "and" cannot be suppressed.   For in order to rise above others, one must observe what others are doing.  And when one observes a peer making a killing in the stock market, for example, the selfish one decides he wants a piece of the action.  This kind of herd mentality, as Keynes observed, is part of the human condition, and leads to the creation of bubbles and the eventual impoverishment, at least on a material level, of society.  The bubbles burst, investors and the millions captivated by their magic lose their wealth, and a new ethos, a crying out for social responsibility, for a curbing of man's hedonistic impulses, briefly captures the day.  Thus, the predominance of the "or", like that of the "and", collapses under its own weight.