Henry David Thoreau's Pursuit Of "Eudaimonia" As Ecological Thinking In Walden

Although Henry David Thoreau has normally been labeled as a representative of New England transcendentalists,he was not merely a transcendentalist.In fact,he explored various facets of human living in his works and convincingly critiqued people's mindless accumulation of material wealth,their numbness to social injustice,and their ignorance about the harm caused by their alienation from the natural world.Just as Thoreau has been designated variously,so is the reception of his writings.Most of Thoreau's contemporaries including Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Russell Lowell look upon his writings negatively on the basis of his aloofness to the human affairs.Different from them,scholars in the twentieth century have discovered in Thoreau's writings a sincere concern for the human world.According to these various critics,Thoreau provides profound insight into various branches of knowledge,such as classical and contemporary philosophy and even environmentalism.This dissertation seeks to study Thoreau's ethical thinking in Walden in association with nature,an ethical thinking that is built upon Aristotle's theory of??????????,anglicized herein as "eudaimonia" and translated herein as "happiness".According to Aristotle,one should pursue only a worthy end,"eudaimonia",which consists of various kinds of "goods".For Thoreau,these "goods" refer to "goods of the property","goods of the soul",and "goods of the body".I will partially borrow the theories of deep ecologists to explore the Thoreau's ethical thinking in relation to his idea of nature.Deep ecologists emphasize the importance of wilderness protection.However,they also intensify the tension between humanity and nature by ignoring ethical integrity.In comparison to them,Thoreau suggests that such tension could be alleviated with the rationale that human "eudaimonia" can only be attained with a deep concern for the "good"(welfare)of nature.For Thoreau,by keeping a balance between the "goods" of humans and "good" of nature,prosperity for both humanity and nature can be achieved and the tension between both sides relieved.In this sense,he provides a corrective to the tendency of some deep ecologists' radical protection of the wilderness.This study consists of three large parts:an "introduction",a "body"(three chapters),and a "conclusion." The introduction clarifies how Thoreau's work,Aristotle's ethical thinking,and the deep ecological approach are related.It begins with a literature review,emphasizing the various facets of Thoreau studies.Based on these studies,the dissertation poses this question:how does Thoreau develop awareness of wilderness protection in pursuit of "eudaimonia" in Walden?In order to answer the question,it is necessary to understand the relationship between humankind and nature.Hence,the second part introduces the relevant theory on deep ecology in which humanity's primary concern should be to benefit everything in nature.For this study,I adopt the part of deep ecological theory that promotes wilderness protection while avoiding its radical tendency to expel humans from nature,wilderness in particular.I will state my opinion that an effective approach to alleviate tension between humans and nature is to find their common ends.To do this,I will present Aristotle's notion of "eudaimonia"(or the supreme "good")and its relationship to various subordinate "goods".The confirmation of Thoreau's adoption of Aristotle's ethical theory in Walden indicates that Thoreau does pursue "eudaimonia",which consists of "goods of the property","goods of the soul",and "goods of the body".The body of this dissertation consists of three chapters.Chapter One shows Thoreau's discussion in the initial chapters of Walden of "goods of property" based in his aesthetic view of cultivated areas.In these chapters,he presents the meaning of the"goods of the soul'',which refers to self-transcendence aroused by interaction with the Oversoul-At the same time,he practices "goods of the body",which is the satisfaction of both physical needs for survival and his enjoyment of solitude.In the process of striving for these "goods",Thoreau enlarges on the Aristotelian concept by focusing on the sacredness of the natural world,which parallels deep ecology's current promotion of primary concern for the welfare of nature.By showing the consistency between Thoreau's ethical thoughts and deep ecology,the chapter reveals how Thoreau anticipates the latter's insistence that humans are not anthropocentric rulers and thus cannot dominate nature.Chapter Two continues with Thoreau's conception of "goods" in the next six chapters of Walden,where he positions himself on the "middle ground" in pastoral areas which are coexistent with wild nature.Here,Thoreau partly relinquishes ownership in order to participate in "goods of the property",which refers to his deeper sense of its beauty.In addition,he transcends this sensory experience in order to partake in "goods of the soul",which refers to detecting the presence of the Oversoul.Besides these he also maintains "goods of the body",which refers to the consecration of his body by controlling animal or lower instincts while he is also aware that he can come to a deeper understanding of wild animals through lower instincts.In the process,he forges a kindred relationship with these creatures and accordingly eradicates his anthropocentric prejudice against nature.Yet despite his eagerness to be closer to nature,he experiences distress resulting from anxiety due to the unfamiliar mysterious side of nature,wilderness in particular.In Chapter Three,this anxiety is alleviated when Thoreau deepens his understanding of the wilderness in the final six sections of Walden.In these chapters,he recognizes the aesthetic values of the wilderness by completely relinquishing control of wild nature.In doing so,he has acquired the true "goods of the property",the preservation of his ownership in wild nature.He is now capable of giving respect to the souls of undomesticated animals and the soul of the uncontaminated pond,because he believes these creatures and things also have sacred "goods of the soul"bestowed by the hallowed Oversoul.In parallel,he also receives a higher "good of the body" when integrating his own body with the natural world.The result is that he transcends the mortality of his particular body by developing awareness of the essential value of the wilderness—by definition,unknown territory.Now,with a sense of intimacy,he can advocate wilderness protection while encouraging others to probe its mystery.In doing so,he looks forward to participating in other "goods" in the wilderness.The Conclusion makes a brief statement on the major points of the dissertation.It also provides an assessment of Thoreau's ethical thinking concerning his promotion of wilderness protection,his spiritual feeling of the Oversoul,and his perspective on the limitations of humanity.Overall,Thoreau forms a relatively systematic theory of"goods" in Walden although the "goods" of nature are not fully developed.Because he initiates the project to continue pursuing more "goods",he has not at the time of writing Walden yet attained the highest good-"eudaimonia".Thoreau's approach to the three-fold "goods" opens the possibility of forming a cordial relationship between humanity and the wilderness.Because his view is that humans are not intended to be opposed to the wilderness,he does not posit a dichotomy between "anthropocentrism" and "ecocentrism".As a result,humans may coexist harmoniously with the wilderness.This idea of coexistence offers a corrective to the current radical tendencies of deep ecology.This dissertation hopes to contribute this insight to the cross-disciplinary study between literary criticism and environmental theory,deep ecology in particular.Concerning future study,there is the possibility to connect Thoreau's "goods"and the classical Chinese theory of the "unification of humanity and nature" resident in both Confucianism and Taoism.Thoreau quotes Confucius often to emphasize the cultivation of virtues.He also echoes Taoism when characterizing himself as a solitary hermit who enjoys undisturbed tranquility in a quiet retreat.Hence,it is highly plausible that a cross-cultural study could be conducted along this trajectory.In this dissertation,however,due to the limitation of its scope,Thoreau's resemblance to these classical Chinese philosophies is not extensively discussed.Nevertheless,by analyzing his "goods",the study does make a prediction of a transnational turn in Thoreau studies.By cultivating the common ground between his ethical approach and ancient Chinese sages,future study may suggest that such a connection could be beneficial to the current global context.