We find in numerous philosophical traditions the idea that human activity plays a key role in construction of the world, whether through conceptualization of an originally undifferentiated “world-stuff”, constructive idealist views such as those of Yogacara Buddhists, or other forms of the view. Here I look at two versions of this idea that share a similar position concerning the relationship of communal to individual activity, in order to better understand the relationship between these two forms of activity in theories of human construction of the world, as well as the ways the stress changes dependent on the social concerns associated with these theories. In particular, I discuss the Classic Maya account of the constructive element of ritual performance, and the view of the Five Percent Nation/Nation of Gods and Earths, a black nationalist movement in the U.S. that began in the mid 1960s, of the self as the “sole controller” and creator, grounding this view in communal discourse that develops the individual. In each of these systems, we find a picture of the necessary interplay between individual and communal activity, even while communal action is centered in the Maya view and individual action is centered in the NGE view. This difference, I argue, is primarily explained by key differences in the social meanings and implications of these theories in their respective societal contexts.

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