Sunday, September 25, 2011

Contesting Thoreau's Self Governing Society

Henry David Thoreau argues that government is not needed. He believes that the individual is capable of governing itself because this would eventually have a positive effect on the society. However, Thoreau's idea of society is only valid if everyone in the society shares the same views.
People do not always share the same opinions. The United States is a perfect example of differing ideas. The United States thrives off of differing opinions and cultures because of the different perspectives they give. One idea is not always better than any other, it is simply a different way of looking at something. When these cultures and ideas do not mesh however, we find that a government is needed to step in.
An extreme case is September 11th. A few men of different cultures and views were able to kill thousands. The government has now stepped in and completely altered airport security because of this one horrific incident. If the individual governed itself,  a situation such as September 11th could occur at anytime.
Speeders are another example of behavior that could disrupt Thoreau's idea of society. Because the individual would decide his own speed limit, different drivers would have variations in speed making the road a hazardous place to be. Speed limits are in place to protect society from individuals' differing ideas  what correct speed limits.
Because Thoreau's theory's strength lies in the individual, the individual also limits the theory. The differing ideas, cultures, and opinions make it extremely difficult to have a self governing society. 

3 comments:

  1. I really like what you said with U.S and it's viewpoint. I completely agree, the differences in everyone's thoughts is one of the big things that help keep this country running. I also like how you brought in the reference of 9 11.

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  2. I think you did a good job of explaining the other side of the story and how his views would not work in the modern age we are in. The 9/11 example is a good one to show that it would not work well at all. And in my opinion there would be boneheads that would cause way more damage on the roads if there was no driving laws.

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  3. Daniel, I like your points about 9/11 and speed racers. I do not believe that the United States could function without a steady form of government. However, Thoreau did live in a very different time period. By taking a look at the context of this work and the culture that Thoreau lived in I think that during his time period this was possible.

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