Skip to main content

How would Thoreau and Leopold critique capitalism and the free market?

In Walden, Thoreau states that capitalism destroys the working man. He says:


"Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men; his labor would be depreciated in the market. He has no time to be anything but a machine" (page 3 in the Dover edition). 



Thoreau believes that capitalism degrades people by making them toil incessantly so that they can no longer exercise integrity or show the marks of their humanity. Instead, their constant need for work makes them into beings who are like machines in their relentless completion of tasks. He compares working in the northern factories and farms to labor that is akin to slavery. He says, "there are so many keen and subtle masters that enslave both north and south" (page 4). The worst situation, he says, is when people become their own slave masters and work themselves into a state of ruin. 


Unlike capitalism and the free market, which advocate the relentless pursuit and stockpiling of material goods, Thoreau advocates living only with what is necessary, which he defines as "Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel" (Walden, page 7). He says that luxuries interfere with our enjoyment of life: "Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind" (page 8). He lives in simplicity and isolation at Walden Pond so that he can truly experience the essence of life without being weighed down by excess material goods and without the need to work beyond the hours necessary to pay for the merest necessities.


In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold states that "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community" (page 262). In other words, anything that changes the environment, including even the attempt to conserve the land, is bad for the environment. Therefore, he believes that capitalism destroys the land and people's appreciation of the land. In his book, he writes "There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace" (page 7). In other words, in our capitalist economy, we are so removed from the land that we have forgotten how food is grown and how trees and other organic matter are used to make heat. If we forget these things, we will likely be careless in our use of natural resources. To restore ourselves to the land, we need to live on it instead of merely benefit from it. Therefore, capitalism and the free market are inimical to the appreciation and preservation of the environment.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

Discuss movements that were inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and list one success for each group.

African-Americans contributed in a very big way during World War II. These contributions were demonstrated at home and on the battlefield. After the war, African-Americans properly felt it was time for them to achieve equality with white Americans. During the 1950's, the modern Civil Rights Movement was born and it had a number of successes (integration of the military and Brown vs. Board of Education as examples.) This success inspired other activists to demand change... African-Americans contributed in a very big way during World War II. These contributions were demonstrated at home and on the battlefield. After the war, African-Americans properly felt it was time for them to achieve equality with white Americans. During the 1950's, the modern Civil Rights Movement was born and it had a number of successes (integration of the military and Brown vs. Board of Education as examples.) This success inspired other activists to demand change for their agendas. Two examples of moveme...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Martel's Life of Pi, how does writing a diary help Pi Patel build on his leadership skills?

At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can... At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can do this by writing down events, problems and solutions, and reflections to look back on when confronted with repeated problems. It can ...
Post a Comment
Read more