Bloomsbury The Philosophy of Henry Thoreau: Ethics, Politics, and Nature

Henry Thoreau is widely considered to be one of the greatest nature writers, among whose best-known works are Walden and Walking. In this book, however, Lester Hunt shows that his writings have a compelling philosophical dimension as well. One obstacle to seeing the philosophical dimension of Thoreaus writings is that he seldom seems to argue for his ideas the way other philosophers do. By means of features such as narratives, jokes, questions, and paradoxes, he entices the reader to recognize possibilities previously unknown and unexplored. He believes he is appealing to the reader's own inner voice, which in some contexts he calls the conscience, and in others one's genius. He holds that one's authentic inner voice is the true guide in life. In The Philosophy of Henry Thoreau, we see that Thoreau's intellect leads him to certain distinctive theories: an intuitionist epistemology, a heroic ethics, a politics that is fundamentally individualist and anarchist and, finally, a sort of secular religion in which nature is pre-eminent. Review Lester Hunt has written a book that says new things about Henry Thoreau-no mean feat. The Philosophy of Henry Thoreau is a searching, well-written exploration of Thoreau's vitalistic, possibilistic ethics, well-informed by the history of philosophy while never losing sight of Thoreau's original contributions.Philip Cafaro, Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University, USA.The Philosophy of Henry Thoreau is arguably the best study of Thoreau in English which uses the toolkit of analytic philosophy. It deals with ethical and political issues of considerable importance. Hunt has convinced me that Thoreau was a far subtler and more rigorous thinker than I had ever imagined.R. Kevin Hill, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Portland State University, USAGuided by the ideal of philosophy as transformative practice, Thoreau was an activist who believed in minding one's own business. Lester Hunt shows how he radically revised standard concepts such as possibility and necessity, putting forward his own terminology of nearness, economy, inward exploration, and deliberate attention to nature. Hunt capably situates Thoreau as a literary and philosophical author and a contemplative, explaining what his life and work mean for us today.Rick Anthony Furtak, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Colorado College, USA About the Author Lester H. Hunt is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He has written on political philosophy, ethics, the philosophy of Nietzsche, aesthetics, and contemporary moral issues. He is the author of Nietzsche and the Origin of Virtue (1991), Character and Culture (1997), and Anarchy, State, and Utopia: An Advanced Guide (2015); he is co-author, with David DeGrazia, of Debating Gun Control: How Much Regulation Do We Need? (2016).