Scholarlink

My paper begins by examining why Thoreau stands out among early American writers and thinkers drawn to Asia, particularly China. It focuses on several points of convergence between Thoreau’s political views as expressed in his Journal paradoxes and essay “Resistance to Civil Government” and the universe of discourse on key political ideas found in the Daodejing (DDJ). The paper calls attention to how the positions Thoreau undertook informed and inspired parts of the American public consciousness, making it more natural for Americans familiar with his work to embrace the DDJ and establish the DDJ’s prominent place among philosophical writings Americans have appropriated from Asian traditions. It considers various positions attempting to show that Thoreau was directly dependent on the DDJ but finds them largely unconvincing. Nevertheless, the position that Thoreau was a Daoist “before any direct acquaintance with the tradition” (avant la lettre) is an interpretation of the substantial set of converging sentiments and positions that exist between Thoreau’s practices and political writing, and the DDJ is one that represents a viable interpretation of his work. The paper concludes that Thoreau may be defensibly understood to stand within a universe of ideas and practices that are found in the DDJ even if the text itself cannot be absolutely confirmed to be the source of his views.

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Convergence of the Daodejing and Thoreau’s Political Writing in Nineteenth Century America

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

查看全文
  • Qingjun Li

摘要

My paper begins by examining why Thoreau stands out among early American writers and thinkers drawn to Asia, particularly China. It focuses on several points of convergence between Thoreau’s political views as expressed in his Journal paradoxes and essay “Resistance to Civil Government” and the universe of discourse on key political ideas found in the Daodejing (DDJ). The paper calls attention to how the positions Thoreau undertook informed and inspired parts of the American public consciousness, making it more natural for Americans familiar with his work to embrace the DDJ and establish the DDJ’s prominent place among philosophical writings Americans have appropriated from Asian traditions. It considers various positions attempting to show that Thoreau was directly dependent on the DDJ but finds them largely unconvincing. Nevertheless, the position that Thoreau was a Daoist “before any direct acquaintance with the tradition” (avant la lettre) is an interpretation of the substantial set of converging sentiments and positions that exist between Thoreau’s practices and political writing, and the DDJ is one that represents a viable interpretation of his work. The paper concludes that Thoreau may be defensibly understood to stand within a universe of ideas and practices that are found in the DDJ even if the text itself cannot be absolutely confirmed to be the source of his views.