Henry David Thoreau: Does Thoreaus Views of Nature Stem from Lockes Writings - Essay Example

? ………. …….. ……….. Does Thoreau’s Views of Nature Stem from Locke’s Writings? Introduction Henry David Thoreau, a central figure among the transcendentalists, is well-known for his passion for nature and his modest dwelling in Walden Pond. He is such a kind of writer who influenced a lot of eminent people like Mahatma Gandhi, a powerful politician who led the Indians towards attaining freedom. Thoreau’s naturalistic view and his subjective philosophy revolving around the stream of Individualism is thus a remarkable milestone in American literature. His political view seems to be much closer to the concept of Individualism but at the same time, it is of dangerous effects in terms of the line he drew through the chapters like Civil Disobedience. As any other writer, Thoreau’s writings may bear resemblance to the thoughts of different authors. To see through him from the perspective of an individualist thinker in comparison with some other individualistic ideologists is interesting. John Locke, a prominent English writer and philosopher of the 17th century who questioned the divine rights of the King, triggered a revolution of theorization in the field of political and philosophical thoughts. Locke is strictly an empiricist, who holds the view that the experience of the senses is pivotal in pursuit of knowledge. In this sense, when we turn back to Thoreau and his practical experiment with the simplicity of life in Walden Pond, can we find any similarities or dissimilarities between Thoreau and Locke? Or can we say that did the views propounded by Thoreau derive from the Locke’s writing? This research paper is an attempt to look into Thoreau’s thoughts on nature from this viewpoint. Does Thoreau’s Views of Nature Stem from Locke’s Writings? Let’s start with a quote used by Thoreau in his essay titled Where I Lived and What I lived for. “I am monarch of all I survey; My right there is none to dispute” (Thoreau retrieved from http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden00.html) Thoreau asserts that man is supreme in constituting his understanding of nature as we see in the philosophy of empiricism. From these words, it is obvious that Thoreau believes that human beings are absolutely free to lead their life in nature as they wish and a particular government or a law cannot reign over the free will of them. Again in the essay titled Civil Disobedience, one of the most controversial and influential essays by him which inspired the great social thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi and Tolstoy, “I heartily accept the motto , that government is best which governs least(Thoreau. Retrieved from http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil1.html)”. We can a draw a line connecting the main thought of both of the citations, which accentuates man’s freedom in the state of nature. In this regard, he is obliged to Locke’s views of nature as we read the essay titled Of the State of Nature: TO understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider,what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man. (Locke. retrieved from http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtre). Here, we can see the meeting points of the ideology of both the writers and it is most probable that Thoreau’s views must have shaped from Locke’s thoughts. According to individualistic ideology man is supreme and above another’s restrictions. The above-mentioned wordings of the both of the writers assert the same line of thought in different manner. It is easy to infer from this similarity in thought that Thoreau should have forged his conception of nature and human freedom from the individualistic ideologists like Locke. Through the analysis of The Second Treatise of Government by Locke it is obvious that he upholds the view that sovereignty is secured in the hands of the people. Locke's strongly argues that people are beyond any kind of segregations in terms rights or special privileges and invested with natural rights in a state of nature in which they lead their life in accordance with their own designs. Locke views that natural law should control human behavior, and each person is of the right to execute that law against someone who crosses the barrier of personal rights. People are free to procure whatever from the earth according to their need, but they are only supposed to reserve for the future just enough to meet their needs. The same idea can be found in the writings of social thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi who believes that nature is rich enough to satisfy every man’s needs not his greed. A government can only put a hold on man’s physical strength not his mental or moral acumen. With regard to Thoreau’s arrest on account of not paying tax , he justifies his act and he puts forward the basic tenet of the civil disobedience movement that the state is not entitled to confront a man’s sense, a state cannot do anything with his moral or intellectual power but it can arrest only his body and his sense. He is sanguine of a state where every human being can entertain equal rights and the state considers all men as neighbours or fellow-beings and recognize each individual as an independent power. John Locke is also a strong supporter of natural rights of the people and sees the state as the protector of their property. Such kind of philosophy was a formidable threat to then the British government too. Thoreau considers individuals to be more important than the state and he argues that the individual becomes strong because of his moral uprightness whereas the government is weak as it devoid of conscience. He advocates that the soul of a citizen can never be conquered by any physical power. John Locke, definitely a predecessor to Thoreau, holds the view that there should be a state which should not curtail the natural rights of the people. When the government is overthrown, the people should reform the legislature to reshape a civil state that works for the good of the people before they turn as subjects of a despotic ruler. At the same time, Thoreau’s view of his ideal state is strangely odd and practically difficult to implement. The roots of such complex thoughts can be traced back to Locke but Thoreau has gone beyond the philosophical territory of Locke by becoming too much conservative. This is why he is paradoxically viewed as the godfather father of hippie movement and anti-technology conservatives. Thoreau is very much devoted to nature, the passing of the seasons, and the creatures with which he shares in the woods. But he leaves a larger meaning to his experiences in Walden Pond, which is widely open to spiritual and psychological explorations. His description of nature may be devoid of scientific or factual accuracy, but unlike a mere scientist he teaches the readers a lot about the nature by the dint of imagery and symbolism applied in his writings. He asks human kind, “why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry” (Thoreau. retrieved from http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden00.html ). The given question itself is so epigrammatic and possible of various interpretations. Anyhow, all this shows that how far Thoreau is a naturalist and simple in his views. He is of terrific influence on not only the American society but also on the people who read him from any corner of the world. The generations of upcoming future would also appreciate Thoreau for his inspiring views propagated all around the world and for its long- term repercussions still on -the- go. Conclusion In conclusion, Henry David Thoreau, a transcendentalist American philosopher who created a new way of spiritual speculations of nature, is of great influence on the world literature. How much he is closer to Locke in his views of nature is an interesting question to a reader who compares both of the authors. From the close readings of the two authors, we can understand that both Thoreau and Locke meet up in their views and Thoreau is largely influenced by the individualistic writers like Locke. We have traced some of the roots from which the Thoreau’s thoughts derived. At the same time, Thoreau is slightly different from the latter in his purely spiritual conceptualization of nature. Reference Locke, John. Of the State of Nature. Retrieved from http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtre Thoreau, Henry David. Civil Disobedience. Retrieved from http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil1.html Thoreau, Henry David. Where I Lived and What I Lived for. Retrieved from http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden00.html Reference Kozy, J, Is Perfect Research Possible? Retrieved from http://jkozy.com/ , 2011. Dr.Sharma,P.D, 1001 Quotations and Proverbs. Gala Publishers,1984. Upendran ,S, Know Your English, The Hindu, Coimbatore, 2004. Whemeier,S, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English.OUP,2002. Read More