Comparison of the importance of order according to machiavelli and thoreau

The task of learning to live alone was, for Thoreau, not so much about carrying out daily chores as it was about becoming a good companion for oneself, relying first and foremost on oneself for companionship and moral guidance: The chief interest of the few is to know things as they are, rather than as they appear to be or as they ought to be.

But these positive labels again contain only half-truths. Thoreau argued that his escape to Walden Pond was not simply a relaxing retreat to the forest. Because the law wishes to be reason Platothose who are or may be wisest incur special obligations to cast the law in an appropriate mold.

In doing so, he rejected the notion that opinion, once established, could be managed into any shape to fit whatever interest of the rulers.

Infollowing a late-night excursion to count the rings of tree stumps during a rainstorm, he became ill with bronchitis. Consent now became not what it was for Aristotle, decisive in a good regime but decisive for politics altogether.

Thoreau remains highly relevant, for we are not far from the problems he sought to address. What is required is to read Machiavelli as describing things knowable rather than knowers; namely, the relations of rulers and ruled.

They held that an ideal spiritual state transcends, or goes beyond, the physical and empirical, and that one achieves that insight via personal intuition rather than religious doctrine.

Thoreau was a capable and enthusiastic classicist, whose study of ancient Greek and Roman authors convinced him that philosophy ought to be a lived practice: The philosopher who seeks knowledge through experience should therefore not be surprised to discover beauty and order in natural phenomena.

Truth is radically perspective-dependent, which means that insofar as we are different people we can only be expected to perceive different worlds WallsIn their view, Nature is the outward sign of inward spirit, expressing the "radical correspondence of visible things and human thoughts", as Emerson wrote in Nature The social and political consequences of acts always interested him more than the moral intent of the actors, and he argued that in human affairs the consequences of acts are bound to be both good and evil.

The familiar roster of necessary qualities is attached to skillful diplomacy—foresight, initiative, decisiveness, flexibility, and deception. Chabod, Federico — Machiavelli and the Renaissance: Good internal government and successful foreign policy are caried on essentially in the same way.

Despite his time as a hermit, Thoreau teaches us how to approach our frighteningly vast, highly interconnected and morally-troubling modern society. The ancients saw the end of rule, wherever good rule was possible, to produce self-governing citizens.

For example, if every possible regime must make light of moral virtue, by what standard would a choice of regime be made.

With the rise of environmental history and ecocriticism as academic disciplines, several new readings of Thoreau began to emerge, showing him to have been both a philosopher and an analyst of ecological patterns in fields and woodlots. Machiavelli stresses the importance of maintaining order while Thoreau suggests reform.

Although their views are different both men approach their positions in an aggressive manner. Machiavelli's approach for his audience would be through fear and power while Thoreau's approach for his audience would be through nonviolent acts, such as being a /5(2). Henry David Thoreau (–) was an American philosopher, poet, and environmental scientist whose major work, Walden, draws upon each of these identities in meditating on the concrete problems of living in the world as a human being.

He sought to revive a conception of philosophy as a way of. Machiavelli stresses the importance of maintaining order while Thoreau suggests reform.

Although their views are different both men approach their positions in an aggressive manner. Machiavelli’s approach for his audience would be through fear and power while Thoreau’s approach for his audience would be through nonviolent acts, such as. Comparison of Lao Tzu and Machiavelli.

Comparison of Lao Tzu and Machiavelli It is obvious to most people the differences between black and white, According to Machiavelli, Machiavelli stresses the importance of maintaining order while Thoreau suggests reform. Although their.

Machiavelli was trying to gain the favor of a local leader by giving him advice. Through the use of repetition, historical reference, and persuasive aphorisms Machiavelli effectively conveyed the important skills required to be a prince.

The Great Philosophers: Henry David Thoreau. Facebook Twitter Email. Henry David Thoreau (originally David Thoreau, ) reminds us about the importance of simplicity, authenticity, and downright disobedience.

and other people’s views in order to live according to our inner nature.

Comparison of the importance of order according to machiavelli and thoreau