Lessons From "walden"
Thoreau and the Crisis of American Democracy
University of Notre Dame Press · Print & ebook · March 30, 2020
Original and passionate, Lessons from Walden presents a wide-ranging inquiry into the nature and implications in the works of Henry David Thoreau.
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- Who it’s for
- A close reading of Walden and Civil Disobedience connects Thoreau’s questions to modern democracy.
- Themes
- Thoreau and democracy, Simplicity and voluntary poverty, Nature and environmental ethics
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Original and passionate, Lessons from Walden presents a wide-ranging inquiry into the nature and implications in the works of Henry David Thoreau. Henry David Thoreau?s works are a backbone of American political philosophy, but how do his ideas translate into the tumultuous modern political landscape? Bob Pepperman Taylor closely examines Walden and Civil Disobedience, focusing on the philosophical questions Thoreau raises. He considers simplicity and the ethics of ?
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voluntary poverty,? examines the role conscience plays in democratic policies, and the truth of what ?nature? means, and what, if anything, we can learn from it today. By drawing on a wide range of perspectives?from historians, philosophers, and popular media?Taylor breathes new life into Thoreau?s work and shows how it is still alive for us today. He allows all sides to have their say, even as he persistently steers the discussion back to a nuanced reading of Thoreau?s actual position. With a tone of friendly urgency, this interdisciplinary tour de force intersects American literature, environmental ethics, and political theory to address the concerns facing the current political landscape and the future of democracy.
Thoreau on Democracy
A close reading of Walden and Civil Disobedience connects Thoreau’s questions to modern democracy.
Come here for
- Thoreau’s thinking on simplicity and voluntary poverty
- Questions about conscience in democratic policy
Expect
- Examination of what nature means and what it can teach today
- Perspectives from historians, philosophers, and popular media
Where it sits
| Political Philosophy | 62% |
|---|---|
| Transcendentalism | 61% |
| Ethics | 24% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Politics in Literature
- Political Philosophy
- Transcendentalism
- Democracy
Show all 5 publisher categories
- Political History & Ideas
- Authors
- Bob Pepperman Taylor
- Publisher
- University of Notre Dame Press
- Published
- March 30, 2020
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Thoreau and democracy · Simplicity and voluntary poverty · Nature and environmental ethics
- Reading lane
- Politics in Literature