“Thoreau and Influence”

by Christian Richardson

Throughout history, the driving force of change has been the clash of the desires of the ruling class who held much of the power and property, and the masses who had strength in numbers. With this idea in mind, we must dive into what drives change. Is it a slow process in which people’s views slowly change, or is it about the praxis of individuals with beliefs that differ greatly from the status quo. According to Henry David Thoreau, the answer was in the individual. He held that people had a moral compass and that they should act on it if they see fit. This is an important part of democracy, as it addresses its primary downside- tyranny of the majority. Although Thoroeau took this idea to such lengths as to reject governance as a whole, and to push for a more egoist way of life in which the individual determines his morality entirely, the foundations of his philosophy are incredibly important for the well being of our democracy to avoid raising a generation that falls into mob rule and doesn’t use ration to think for themselves. This is what gives Thoreau great importance, and it is necessary that his work be taught in all classrooms. He provides an example of an extreme transcendentalist- a philosophy that is seldom taught for how important it is – and teaches people to be individuals above subjects, and to fight for what they think is right as opposed to accepting the majority rule.

Transcendentalism has been given a bad name by capitalism. Steve Edward says in Misunderstanding Thoreau: Reading Neurodiversity in Literature and in Life “The epitome of Thoreau takedown articles appeared in The New Yorker in 2015… In the deck of its online edition, the article asks: “Why, given his hypocrisy, sanctimony, and misanthropy, has Thoreau been so cherished?” What follows is a blistering critique not only of Thoreau’s ideas but of his personhood. He is described as: “cold-eyed,” “narcissistic,” “fanatical about self-control,” “adamant that he required nothing beyond himself to understand and thrive in the world.’” (Edward). Thoreau, like many people, feels differently towards similar stimulation. In fact, most experts believe that Thoreau had high functioning autism, a common diagnosis. While the growing sentiment is that the large “neurodivergent” population must try to minimize their symptoms and integrate into society. But why do we feel this way? In The Technological Society, Ellul says that society is not built for people, but rather for the sake of technique, of which we subconsciously and viciously fight in the name of. Ellul defines technique as the human tendency towards total efficiency at any given goal despite the many negative side effects that may come up: “Technique became the defining force, the ultimate value, of a new social order in which efficiency was no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity” (Ellul 47). Thoreau, like many “neurodivergent” people, expresses a strong dislike for the way the world is, driving him to live a more simple life with more focus on nature, the individual, and separation from society. Yet we attack his attempts at separating himself from the world and living differently than the rest of society as “narcissistic” because of our undying need to conform to technique. Learning about Thoreau, understanding his views, and seeing the world from his perspective can give an alternative perspective to the world that many people need in order to understand others’ or their own struggles.

One of the major parts of Thoreau's most famous work Civil Disobedience addresses the main misconception people have about democracy. Many people thought all people can do is vote, then roll over and die if they lose. The idea that people should simply complain and grit their teeth if they see their government do something they do not like is preposterous to Thoreau. “It costs me less in every sense to incur the penalty of disobedience to the State, than it would to obey. I should feel as if I were worth less in that case.” (Thoreau 3). According to Thoreau, we are individuals whose views of reason supersede those of the majority. We should not let the government steamroll us, but fight back in a civil manner every time they oppress us. Thoreau, for example, did not pay his taxes to the government due to the American Mexican war. Rather than complaining about our circumstance and supporting ideologies with no praxis, Thoreau says that action is important “But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government.” This is of importance in a world where we have a habit of accepting what we see on social media as true without much fact checking. Instead of blindly following what we hear, we must follow our own conscience, of which Thoreau is a supporter. 

However, there are dangers to learning Thoreau. He personally advocated for rational solutions, stating that there are compromises to be demanded immediately. However, much of the writing that has stemmed from the transcendentalist movement as a whole has been dangerous. The most notorious example is Ted Kaczynski. In the pursuit of similar goals to Thoreau, he killed several people. Thoreau's philosophy is very open to more radical interpretations,with his idea of standing up to the government and majority in the case of injustice being open to interpretations of violence. The unabomber, for example, said “In order to get our message before the public with some chance of making a lasting impression, we’ve had to kill people.” (Kaczynski 12). The unabomber believes that the world around him is evil from a transcendentalist point of view and this leads him to consider them “ontologically” evil to justify killing. These radical interpretations have caused much havoc in the world, however it should not overshadow the many other reasons to study his work. 

Overall, Thoreau's work is important to western society. He pushes for a transcendentalist way of life, shows a neurodivergent interpretation of the world and pushes for democratic participation. However, his philosophy is incredibly dangerous when taken to extremes. Generally, Thoreau should be taught in the US, and should be known as an influential figure that has had a positive impact on society.

Citations:

Ted Kazenski, The Unabomber Manifesto : Industrial Society and Its Future. Berkeley, CA : Jolly Roger Press, 1995.

Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. Walden ; and, Civil Disobedience : Complete Texts with Introduction, Historical Contexts, Critical Essays. Boston :Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

Ellul, Jacques, and Jacques Ellul. The Technological Society. Vintage Books, 1964.