Thoreau's politics: Privatism and the affirmation of life
Abstract
Thoreau’s politics has undergone a reconstructive surgery in recent years, aligning the American thinker with the liberal model of individual rights and responsibilities. Thoreau’s philosophy, however, betrays that characterization at nearly every turn. This project examines Thoreau’s politics as the expression of privatism, a vitalist philosophy of political detachment consisting of two interrelated moves: (1) a critique of the mass society and its ethical programs, and (2) a subsequent reconstruction of individualism focusing on indifference, reflective simplification, valuative empiricism, and an appreciation of finitude. Through this reading and reconstruction of Thoreau’s thought, we get a vision of a distinctly American philosophy that basks in the modern creation of the sovereign will and responds affirmatively to the challenges of being.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Weinstein, Purdue University.
Subject Area
American studies|Political science
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