Lessons from Walden: Thoreau and the Crisis of American Democracy

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 ＂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.

Bob Pepperman Taylor is the Elliott A. Brown Green and Gold Professor of Law, Politics, and Political Behavior at the University of Vermont. His Lessons from Walden was named the winner of the American Political Science Association section award for the best book of 2020 in American political thought.