--Wald der Unerbittlich
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thoreau's Resistance to Civil Government
"Resistance to Civil Government" is an essay written by Henry David Thoreau in 1849. It details Thoreau's ideas on what the structure and function of government should be and contains some social commentary and criticism by him as well. The work itself is slightly contradictory as a whole. The first line clearly expresses Thoreau's belief that "That government is best which governs least," yet the work goes on to explain that, though it may not be ideal, it is necessary for a government to be in place. Thoreau describes that due to the inherently selfish and egocentric nature of man, a government of some sort is necessary on a practical level, even though it should not be theoretically. One of the reasons Thoreau dislikes government is because government get its power from the the strongest group, but not necessarily the right (intellectually or morally) group. To attempt to compensate for the inevitable errors and evils that come with government, Thoreau pleads to individuals to do what they believe is ethically right, even if goes against what the government says. He also suggests that people distance themselves from the institution of government as much as possible, positing that one cannot see it for what it really is if one is part of it. Ultimately, Thoreau is not calling for the abolition of government altogether, he just want a better and differently organized one. He asserts that the highest and most ideal form of society is one in which the individual is recognized and allowed to live and act for himself without being controlled by others.
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He also makes it clear in his writing that the form of government that we have established in this new country is better than other forms. He dreams of a better way, but he does struggle with the apparent problems of human beings; he thinks that human beings need the 'sound' of the machinery of government in order to make them feel secure; he thinks that some people must have this machine in order to keep them from damaging others. At the same time, he believes that government can be manipulated easily and the machinery of control used to force immoral actions. His examples are slavery and the Mexican war. I believe that the contradictions are part of the argument; human beings have enormous power when they work together, but we have not learned to work together effectively as yet.
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