Chapter 5 Transcendentalism in Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”
5.6 The Thoreauvian Political Triad
5.6.2 Revolution and Thoreauvian Civil Disobedience
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5.6.1.2 From Principled Action to Civil Disobedience
I believe that principled action leads to civil disobedience. Thoreau asserts that principled action “changes things and relations” (154). I further contend that enacting righteous principles – acting based on Transcendentalist Principles – leads to
Thoreauvian civil disobedience. Principled action has, in numerous instances, led to changes in “things and relations” (154). For example, when Thoreau was in jail, he exerted the principle of the Over-Soul; he inverted the meaning of the prison and changed his relationship with incarceration by viewing it as a small part of the immense universe. Another example introduces another Transcendentalist Principle:
when a soldier disobeys an unmoral order, he enacts the principle of Inner Divinity;
he makes himself not a walking weapon but a thinking human, and he thus changes his relationship with the military by privileging his conscience over the law. In this respect, principled action leads to civil disobedience; or, more specifically, acting based on Transcendentalist principles fosters Thoreauvian civil disobedience.
5.6.2 Revolution and Thoreauvian Civil Disobedience
Thoreau regards taking principled action as “essentially revolutionary” (154), which raises another issue: whether or not revolution is compatible with civil disobedience. Examining Thoreau’s understanding of revolution by scrutinizing all relevant passages, I find that, rather than bloody or violent, Thoreauvian revolution is peaceful, individual, and consistent with his conception of civil disobedience. Indeed, I believe that Thoreau views peaceable revolution as the product of civil disobedience.
5.6.2.1 The Nature of Thoreauvian Revolution
The Oxford English Dictionary defines revolution as “a forcible overthrow of a government or social order” (OED); in other words, as commonly understood, revolution involves force and violence and is often synonymous with insurrection.
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However, in “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau defines revolution as “the right to refuse allegiance to and to resist the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable” (149). Thoreauvian revolution is thus broader and more flexible than conventional notions of revolution, referring to any insubordination to injustice. It does not necessitate violence and can be achieved on a personal level.
5.6.2.2 From Civil Disobedience to Peaceable Revolution
Due to its achievability on the individual level, Thoreauvian revolution belongs to everyone: “All men recognize the right to revolution” (149). Thoreau’s suggestion that individuals initiate a revolution (officials resigning their positions and citizens refusing tax duties) manifests the spirit of civil disobedience. In doing so, people dissociate themselves from wrongdoing and fulfill “the definition of a peaceable revolution” (158). When thousands of people civilly disobey the state, Thoreau writes,
“the revolution is accomplished” (158). In other words, civil disobedience leads to peaceable revolution, and any citizen can initiate a revolution in a civil, peaceful, and individual way. Thoreauvian revolution does not conflict with Thoreauvian civil disobedience; it becomes part of it. In short, Thoreauvian revolution is civil, peaceful, and achievable for individuals, and it is the outcome of exercising civil disobedience.
5.6.3 The Thoreauvian Political Triad
Based on the discussion above, I conclude that “Civil Disobedience” articulates a Thoreauvian political triad that links principled action, civil disobedience, and
peaceable revolution. Acting based on Transcendentalist Principles generates civil disobedience; this fosters peaceable revolution, which, in turn, inspires more people to act according to their principles, generating a virtuous cycle. Thoreauvian civil
disobedience is the fruit of the Transcendentalist Principles and the seed of peaceable revolution but, essentially, the three represent different phases in the growth of the
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same plant. People who enact righteous principles fulfill the dictates of Thoreauvian civil disobedience and eventually engage in revolution. The Thoreauvian political triad, consisting of principled action, civil disobedience, and revolution, lies at the heart of “Civil Disobedience.” It draws together my argument and serves as an appropriate end point for this chapter.
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Chapter 6 Conclusion
This study uses a Transcendentalist analytical framework derived from
Emerson’s Essays to interpret Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience.” It contends that civil disobedience embodies the Thoreauvian notion of “action from principle” (154) – his beliefs regarding the enactment of Transcendentalist Principles as political actions. I derive four essential Transcendentalist Principles: the Over-Soul, Inner divinity, Anti-Authority, and Self-Reliance and use these principles as the basis for my analysis.
Each of these principles represents a different dimension of Transcendentalism: the mystical, the religious, the socio-political, and the practical. Resonant with these Transcendentalist Principles, Thoreauvian civil disobedience thus contains dimensions that transcend the political. Moreover, it is not merely theoretical; it advocates a diverse set of actions. Based on these findings, this study proposes a Thoreauvian political triad: Transcendentalist principled action, civil disobedience, and peaceable revolution. Relying on abundant textual evidence, this study argues that to understand fully “Civil Disobedience” one must reread it from a literary perspective with a Transcendentalist approach rather than viewing it as a mere political tract.
6.1 What Is New? – Findings and Discoveries
This study contributes a new understanding of the relationship between Transcendentalism and “Civil Disobedience,” an explication of the various
dimensions and applications of Thoreauvian civil disobedience, an evaluation of the compatibility of Thoreauvian civil disobedience with revolution, and the discovery of a Thoreauvian political triad.
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6.1.1 Transcendentalism and Civil Disobedience: Principle and Action Transcendentalism generates Thoreauvian civil disobedience. Researchers usually position “Civil Disobedience” within a too narrow political science framework. In this study, I contend that using a Transcendentalist framework to analyze the text from a literary perspective gives a greater insight. Moreover, I demonstrate that the phrase “action from principle” in the essay’s original text
encapsulates Thoreauvian civil disobedience: principle refers to the Transcendentalist Principles, the Over-Soul, Inner Divinity, Anti-Authority, and Self-Reliance; action refers to the actions that extend from these principles. Together, principle and action constitute Thoreauvian civil disobedience.
6.1.2 The Mystical, the Moral, the Political, the Practical: Concept and Practice Thoreauvian civil disobedience has mystical, moral, political, and practical dimensions and involves both theory and action. First, Thoreau enacts the mystical principle of the Over-Soul by connecting himself to the Universe, Nature, and others without material constraints. Second, Thoreau exemplifies the moral principle of Inner Divinity by following his conscience and Higher Law. Third, Thoreau embodies the political principle of Anti-Authority by distrusting external authorities like
governments, institutions, and the mainstream (the mainstream represented by the elites and by the masses). Finally, Thoreau exerts the practical principle of Self-Reliance, which, in my view, entails self-sufficiency, self-motivation, and
disobedience. Self-reliant actions include voting, improving society and joining the side of righteousness, rejecting tax duties, suffering incarceration, and starting individual revolutions.
6.1.3 The Thoreauvian Political Triad
In this study, I argue that, in “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau develops a political
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triad connecting 1) principled actions, 2) civil disobedience, and 3) peaceful
revolution. The components of the triad manifest different facets of a process: to act in a principled manner (the Transcendentalist Principles) leads to Thoreauvian civil disobedience, which leads to a peaceful revolution. The more these revolutions take place, the more people will be inspired to act on principle; thus, the process becomes a self-perpetuating, positive cycle. Anyone enacting the right principles achieves not only civil disobedience but also a peaceable revolution. Thus, principled action, civil disobedience, and peaceable revolution form a Thoreauvian political triad.
6.2 Contribution to Research
This study makes its contributions by 1) providing abundant textual evidence to elucidate how “Civil Disobedience” resonates with Transcendentalism, 2) establishing the four Transcendentalist Principles, and 3) proposing a Thoreauvian political triad.
6.2.1 The Link between Transcendentalism and Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”
Using literary rather than a political scientific analysis, this study provides abundant and detailed textual evidence to elucidate the connection between the New England philosophy, Transcendentalism, and Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience.”
6.2.2 The Four Transcendentalist Principles
This study explicates four Transcendentalist Principles – the Over-Soul, Inner Divinity, Anti-Authority, and Self-Reliance. These principles are helpful in
introducing the concepts of Transcendentalism and providing an analytical framework for examining Transcendentalist works.
6.2.3 The Thoreauvian Political Triad
This study develops the theory of the Thoreauvian political triad. This triad combines principled action, civil disobedience, and peaceable revolution. It is based
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on Transcendentalism and occurs on a personal level. This theory may have applications in future studies of Thoreau, Transcendentalism, politics, and civil disobedience.
6.3 Who Should Read This Research
This study targets three groups of potential readers: those curious about civil disobedience, those interested in political perspectives on civil disobedience, and those interested in literary perspectives on civil disobedience.
6.3.1 Those Curious about the Concept of Civil Disobedience
For anyone who is curious about the concept, the origin, the context, and the background of Thoreauvian civil disobedience, this study serves as an introduction that lists the concept’s essential values in a comprehensive and intelligible way.
6.3.2 Those Interested in Political Perspectives on Civil Disobedience
Many political scientists’ views of civil disobedience have been influenced by John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. These scholars may have never read Thoreau’s original text from a literary perspective, not to mention through the lens of
Transcendentalism. This study aims to interpret Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” in a non-traditional way.
6.3.3 Those Interested in Literary Perspectives on Civil Disobedience
For literary scholars, the name and the works of Thoreau are well known, as is the nineteenth-century American intellectual movement, Transcendentalism.
However, many of these scholars view Thoreau merely as a hermit who lived near the shore of Walden Pond and Transcendentalism as an abstract philosophy; they fail to see Thoreau’s political radicalism and Transcendentalism’s practicality.
Alternatively, those who recognize the different sides of both the man and the
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movement may still be curious about whether this philosophy has applications in contemporary life. This study not only highlights Thoreau’s more political side but also demonstrates how Thoreau combines principle and action in “Civil
Disobedience.” Moreover, by analyzing Thoreau’s case, this study shows that the tenets of Transcendentalism remain relevant and practicable today.
6.4 Defending the Question, Methodology, Evidence, and Inferences
6.4.1 A Justifiable Question
This study’s major research question is: to what extent and in what way does New England Transcendentalism inform Thoreauvian civil disobedience? This question has political, philosophical, and literary justifications. First, scholars tend to classify “Civil Disobedience” as a political tract, failing to recognize its multiple dimensions and links to Transcendentalist ideas. Second, when discussing
transcendental philosophy, people may mistake this distinctly American movement for its European counterpart – Kantian transcendental philosophy. However, New
England Transcendentalism is its own distinct philosophy. Reading “Civil
Disobedience” through the lens of canonical German transcendental philosophy only provides a partial understanding of the text. Third, when discussing
Transcendentalism’s place in the literary history, people may diminish its
significance, characterizing it simply as a transient movement that preceded the Civil War. Literary scholars have rarely used Transcendentalist frameworks to conduct literary analyses of “Civil Disobedience”; nonetheless, this study argues that only when reading “Civil Disobedience” via Transcendentalism can readers comprehend its message. The literary analysis focuses on the original text, highlighting close reading. Raising neither traditionally political nor purely philosophical questions, this study aims to answer its own query through a close reading of the text.
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6.4.2 A Reasonable Methodology
This study uses Transcendentalist Principles derived from Emersonian
Transcendentalism as expressed in Essays as its methodological foundation. This is a reasonable approach for three reasons: 1) Emerson is the most representative
transcendentalist figure; 2) Essays is Emerson’s greatest literary achievement and expresses the fundamental Transcendentalist attitude; and 3) the application of Transcendentalist Principles is necessary. Transcendentalism lacks a strict theoretical framework, but an analysis without any degree of categorization would be formless;
this study, therefore, uses four Transcendentalist principles – the Over-Soul, Inner Divinity, Anti-Authority, and Self-Reliance – as the basis for its analytical framework.
Each principle represents a different dimension of Transcendentalist beliefs. This approach makes it easier to introduce clearly ideas and to examine the nuance of the text. In short, the combination of Emerson, Essays, and Transcendentalist Principle is a reasonable methodology for this study, since it places Thoreau within the literary and philosophical milieu of his time.
6.4.3 Persuasive Evidence
The evidence this study relies on is valid and persuasive because it comes from the primary source: Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience.” Chapter 5 of this study
meticulously scrutinizes how each principle shapes Thoreau’s work, analyzing each relevant passage and sentence. The benefit of using Thoreau’s original text is that it is authentic, plain and understandable, and full of his idiosyncrasies. The downside of using it is that it is sometimes too flexible, wordy, and disorganized. Thoreau scatters similar ideas in different parts of the article and expresses diverse concepts in the same paragraphs, creating a somewhat unfocused reading experience. Thus, one of the aims of this study is to arrange these thoughts within a meaningful framework to
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clarify Thoreau’s argument and accentuate the influence of Transcendentalism.
Undertaking a systematic categorical analysis, this study deciphers the text’s covert Transcendentalism. For example, Thoreau’s ability to transcend physical incarceration by embracing spiritual freedom represents his belief in the Over-Soul, while his repeated calls for conscientious action demonstrate his faith in Inner Divinity, etc.
This study provides abundant and relevant textual evidence from Thoreau’s text, underscoring his purpose by adopting a literary Transcendentalist perspective without distorting or misinterpreting his original intentions. In short, this study’s persuasive evidence is Thoreau’s text itself, which resonates with Transcendentalist Principles.
6.4.4 Credible Inferences
This study argues that Thoreau applies Transcendentalist Principles in “Civil Disobedience,” giving this political essay a Transcendentalist core. The detailed textual evidence presented in the study makes this a credible argument. By systematically examining the original text, this study shows that, in addition to its political dimensions, “Civil Disobedience” has mystical, moral, and practical dimensions. Finally, this study elucidates a Thoreauvian political triad: principled action leads to civil disobedience, revealing that Transcendentalism-based action defines Thoreauvian civil disobedience, which, in turn, generates a peaceable revolution. Carefully analyzing Thoreau’s intentions and word choice, this study provides comprehensive proof to support this argument.
6.5 Why Does It Matter? – Its Academic and Practical Significance
Within academia, this study is important because it 1) connects Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” to Transcendentalism in a meaningful way, 2) summarizes the four Transcendentalist Principles, and 3) proposes the Thoreauvian political triad.
Academically, I hope this study will benefit researchers interested in Thoreau, civil
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disobedience, or Transcendentalism. This study also has significance for daily life beyond the scholarly discourse. Civil disobedience remains necessary wherever dysfunctional governments hold power. The sad truth is that, two hundred years after Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience,” corruption, tyranny, and injustice continue to proliferate; in every era, however, people of rectitude stand in support of justice, conscience, and equality. For such individuals, this study describes a practical way to enact civil disobedience in their daily lives. In addition, this study shows ordinary readers that Transcendentalist ideas fundamentally inform Thoreauvian civil
disobedience. Transcendentalism was not merely a short-lived movement that ended two hundred years ago; it is still alive and still exerts considerable influence through the world-renowned and still widely read article, “Civil Disobedience.” This study also demonstrates how individuals can combine Transcendentalist ideals with political action, practice civil disobedience, and initiate peaceful revolution on a personal level, which is useful and feasible in daily life. Therefore, this study demonstrates the
continued importance of “Civil Disobedience” both within and outside of academia.
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