H. D. Thoreau reading response
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Ferris State University *
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Course
301
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
2
Uploaded by ChancellorWillpowerCrow35
1. Research online--identify 3+ influential leaders in the 20th century on whom Thoreau
was a significant influence.
People who were a significant influence were Leo Tolstoy,
Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.
2. At what early age did HDT die--and why (cause)?
H
enry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
died at age 44, of tuberculosis.
3. Identify the two main government involvements in the 1840s that made HDT so
upset. Provide paragraph numbers to support your answers.
Don’nt know how to
answer it
4. In par. 4 (near the top of p. 725), HDT asserts that "Law never made men a whit
more just."Paraphrase this idea (restate it in your own words)--then argue for or against
his claim.
What he is trying to say is that thoreau means that if a law is unjust a good
man should break it and you should follow your conscience first. I agree that the law is
not does not seem right or fair that you should break it and follow what feels best for
you.
5. In connection with par. 9 (top of p. 727), quote and comment on Romans 13, verses
1-2.
“
As Christians, we should obey the laws of our earthly government. The existing authorities
were put there by God. If we break the law, we are defying God, and we're not exempt from
punishment” what this quote is saying is that christians should obey the laws and if you break
them God can not save you from the punishment you broke if you have to deal with the
consequences.
6. In connection with the same text, quote and comment on Matthew 22, verse 21.
“They said to Him, “Caesar's.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that
are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
” What I think this quote means is that
that which bears the image of Caesar ultimately belongs to him. Why not give it to him In this
way, Jesus essentially shrugs off the challenge as a false dilemma.
7. At the end of par. 10 (top of p. 728), HDT claims "[t]here are nine hundred and
ninety-nine patrons of virtue to one virtuous man."
Look up Diogenes of Sinope--what
did he do with a lantern?
If virtue is so rare, what does this indicate about the need for
government?
It says that
he once went out during the day with a lamp in his hand, and to those who
asked him why he acted in this way, he replied, "I am looking for a man!" He was looking for someone
who was truly capable of living according to his own authentic nature and who was happy and he could
not find it. How virtue indicates the need for government is the personal qualities associated with the
effective functioning of the civil and political order or the preservation of its values and principles.
8. In what I see as a KEY notion in this famous essay on disobeying the government,
at the end of par. 13 (middle of p. 729), Thoreau states, "After the first blush of sin
comes its indifference; and
from immoral it becomes, as it were
un
moral
....
"
What is the huge difference or distinction between immoral and unmoral?
T
he huge
difference or distinction between immoral and unmoral is that Unmoral refers to those having no
moral perception. It is best used for animals or inanimate objects incapable of considering moral
concerns, but can also be used for humans lacking the same. Immoral refers to a conscientious
rejection of typical moral standards and has a connotation of evil or wrongdoing.
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