On the Duty of Civil Disobedience [Paperback]

Henry David Thoreau (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1604592931 | ISBN-13: 978-1604592931 | Publication Date: March 24, 2008

Civil Disobedience argues that citizens should not permit their governments to overrule their consciences, and that they have a duty to avoid allowing their acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice. Thoreau was motivated in part by his disgust with slavery and the Mexican-American War, but the sentiments he expresses here are just as pertinent today as when they were first written. A true American classic.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience was originally published in 1849 as Resistance to Civil Government. Thoreau wrote this classic essay to advocate public resistance to the laws and acts of government that he considered unjust. The practical application of Civil Disobedience was largely ignored until the twentieth century when, at different times, Modanda Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and anti-Vietnam War activists applied Thoreau's principles.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Henry David Thoreau was born in 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts. He spent time as a school teacher after attending Harvard College but was dismissed for his refusal to administer corporal punishment. In 1845, wanting to write his first book, he moved to Walden Pond and built his cabin on land owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It was during his time at Walden that Thoreau was imprisoned briefly for not paying taxes; this experience became the basis for his well-known essay "Civil Disobedience." He died of tuberculosis in 1862 at the age of 44. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Wilder Publications (March 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604592931
• ISBN-13: 978-1604592931
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > General
  • #50 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Ethics & Morality

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of individualism and the fight for justice., November 25, 2004

By 

Ragnarok Books - See all my reviews

This review is from: Civil Disobedience (Green Integer: 41) (Paperback)

Civil Disobedience is one of the most importance works of philosophy ever written. Like all great works of philosophy, it is as relevant today as it has ever been, as it transcends space and time. Don't let the abolitionist nature mislead you: this book is not merely about abolition and slavery. Rather, it is about Man Against the State, individuality, and Thoreau's philosophy of how one man can stand up to government and society, driven by his own convictions of right and wrong, as summarized by the timeless quote "Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one already".

Thoreau's main point is that the best - and many times, the only - method for fighting injustice is through passive disobedience. By refusing to cooperate with the machinery of injustice, the individual can become the friction that stops the machine. Active resistance is bound for failure, as the machine (the State, society, etc.) is too formidable for the individual to fight. But, by refusing to cooperate, justice can be achieved and injustice toppled.

If you are looking for a marvelous primer on individuality and the fight for justice, start with this book.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "It is not so desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right."-Henry David Thoreau, February 27, 2009

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Medusa (Troy, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Civil Disobedience (Paperback)

In "Civil Disobedience" Thoreau presents political theories in which he dissects democracy and the interaction between citizens and their government.
Understandably, Thoreau was deeply concerned about injustices he witnessed during his life, such as enslavement of one sixth of the population and the invasion of Mexico by the United States.
Thoreau does not oppose the institution of government; he believes that when a government becomes "abused and perverted", it ceases to represent the will of the people. When a government makes decisions that promulgate harm and injustice, it is the duty of its citizens to rebel and break those chains of injustices.

Arguably, the strongest idea Thoreau presents, is the notion of individualism. Thoreau encourages skepticism of the government and rejects blind loyalty to it. Thoreau perceives citizens, who give blind loyalty to their government's decisions without questioning them, as participants in every injustice committed by that government. Whether this point of view is correct or not, it is worth debating, especially in view of the horrific injustices that are extant in today's world and the way the masses so easily accept them without considering the negative impact on others.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A testament to American Individualism, December 31, 2009

By 

Bagels (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Civil Disobedience (Kindle Edition)

This is a thoroughly American view on political theory given the emphasis on the individual coupled with the call for civil disobedience. Definitely not for the faint hearted, go into this with a grasp of the events of the day and a willingness to read the entire essay at least twice to fully appreciate Thoreau's points.