The Ecological Ethical Implication Of Thoreau's "simple Life"

Along with the development of humankind and with the social progress,the world has becomes a whole,people are no longer lonely but impetuous.Human society,which seems busy,is full of uneasy and emptiness.The substances that cannot bring utility should be given up and the mental activities that is troubling should be controlled.Simple life can achieve the greatest spiritual freedom of humankind.The "simple life".which is introduced by Thoreau,is not just behavior or material simplification,but a two-way coordination from the perspective of natural philosophy based on their own transcendentalism philosophy.Chapter 1 of this thesis analyzed the background of Thoreau "simple life" first.Thoreau began to deliberate the social life's shortcomings and the relationship between nature and humankind,due to the environmental destruction that caused by industrial production and the distortion of people's values via industrial civilization.Coupled with Thoreau's own unique feelings of nature,"simple life" emerges.Chapter 2 is based on the Thoreau's attitude towards nature,which elaborates the reason why the intrinsic value of nature is important to Thoreau,i.c.,Thoreau's ecological ethics ideology is influenced by both transcendentalism and oriental.These two natural views both show the emphasis on the value of nature and respect for the laws of nature.Then,this thesis gives an overview of the main contents of "simple life" and analyzes the relationship between personal happiness,human and social relations and the relationship between man and nature in the spirit of "simple life"with natural value as the core.Chapter 3 summarizes the realistic value of "simple life"."Simple life" not only provokes the development of ecological ethics around the world,but also is of great social value.”Simple life" is not limited to the specific form of life above;it is also the subtraction of the soul and the freedom of the soul.Spiritual simplification is not limited to external conditions.As long as we show respects to nature laws and the state of original development of affairs,which results in the natural spirit of "simple life".This spiritual simplification is the combination of individual and nature,which can make people reach the greatest degree of freedom and release and benefit the coordinated development of man and nature,and man and society.