1. The Limits of Transcendentalism
Thoreau uses the Transcendentalist philosophy to attack the state from an anti-slavery platform. ... The severe personal, societal, and humanitarian consequences that occur when their philosophy is applied to the lower and middle class majority demonstrate this deficiency. ... If we ascribe to Thoreau's definition of an unjust law as one that causes harm to others, someone could easily oppose the law preventing the bombing of abortion clinics based on the grounds that apparent harm is caused by their adherence to that law. ... Obviously Emerson lives for himself, or at least claims to, ...
- Word Count: 1633
- Approx Pages: 7
- Grade Level: Undergraduate