Portland Free Philosophy Lectures and Discussions

Facilitator: Mark M Teacher bio: http://peoplescolloquium.org/teacher-bios/ Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” Henry David Thoreau asserts in the beginning of perhaps, his most famous and influential essay, “Civil Disobedience”: “That government is best which governs least”…Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe- “That government is best which governs not at all” and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.’ Thoreau meant to provoke debate. We’ll let him do that for us in this discussion. In our time of political and social turmoil where many are questioning whether the individual can have any significant influence on her government, Thoreau addresses such questions as: What should the role of the individual in society and government be? What should be the limits of government? Is it the individual’s duty to resist a government that she deems to be immoral or unjust regardless of the consequences? In this piece Thoreau also addresses such questions as the importance of voting, and the importance of individualism in American society. This essay was an inspiration to many, including Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. in their efforts to effect change in their governments. Together, we will read through key passages of this text and discuss Thoreau’s various views and whether we believe his ideas are still relevant and useful in our times, or whether they are merely the outdated musings of an eccentric, unrealistic dreamer. Complete text: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper2/thoreau/civil.html