"Thoreau and Transcendence"

Join Plato's Cave philosophers and UU Inquiring Minds this Sunday morning, November 25 at 9:00.

This Sunday:
Moderator StoicDan, Plato's Cave, and Inquiring Minds will discuss “Thoreau and Transcendence”.

StoicDan is the organizer of Orlando Stoics, Tampa Stoics, and The Emerson & Thoreau Discussion Group.

Dan’s introduction:
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) once described himself as "a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher." He was one of the leading intellectuals in the United States in the 1800s, and his writings cover society, the individual, and the search for universal laws.

Join the Plato's Cave discussion – be educated; be wise. –Steve

Coffee? Yes.

Links to 5 essays that we will discuss:

• Civil Disobedience (conceived 1846, published 1849), http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper2/thoreau/civil.html
• Walking (lecture 1851), http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1022/1022-h/1022-h.htm
• Slavery in Massachussetts (lecture 1854), http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Slavery_Massachusetts.html
• A Plea for Captain John Brown (speech 1859, published 1860), http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2567/2567-h/2567-h.htm
• Life without Principle (published 1863, after his death), http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper2/thoreau/life.html

Links to summaries of the essays:

• Civil Disobedience, http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/civildisobedience/summary/
• Walking, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_(Thoreau)
• Slavery in Massachussetts, https://www.shmoop.com/american-romanticism/democracy-and-freedom-characteristic-slavery-in-massachusetts-example.html
• A Plea for Captain John Brown, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Plea_for_Captain_John_Brown
• Life without Principle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Without_Principle

General articles on Thoreau, his life, his works (optional):

• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://www.iep.utm.edu/thoreau/
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thoreau/

We may also include Thoreau's views on "simple living", which is the basis for Minimalism, a growing movement today.

Special Interest:

StoicDan Meetups: Emerson & Thoreau Discussion Group
Current Discussion: "The Divinity School Address" Lecture (1838) by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson & Thoreau Discussion Group
First Thursday each month, Next Meeting: Dec. 6 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Panera Bread, 11472 University Blvd, Orlando, FL 32817
More information: https://www.meetup.com/Emerson-Thoreau/