On 5/14/03 3:37 AM, "Wayne Butler" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Hiya folks,
> I was wondering about this a while back & didn't get very far! So I'd be
> really interested to read your opinions.
> The question is this: Can a Thoreauian outlook be compatible with socialism?
>
> I found it hard to bridge the gap between the individualistic personhood
> which Thoreau recommends, and the kind of solidarity with a wider community
> which is essential to socialism.
> An even scarier thought is that Thoreau might actually be closer to Thatcher
> than to socialism!?
> Surely that can't be??!
> Any thoughts?
>
> Cheers all,
> Wayne.
>
I think Thoreau demonstrates that individualism with a liberal tone CAN be
compatible with an environmental ethic. I would go even further, and
suggest that due to the logic of large organizations tending to redefine
their tasks in terms of what is good for them as organizations, Thoreauean
individualism is probably MORE environmentally friendly than many (not all)
conceptions of "socialism."
(I put quotes around socialism because there is no agreed upon meaning of
the term.)
I wrote a paper arguing that certain (not all) strains of liberal thought
with deep respect for individuals were deeply compatible with an eco-centric
approach. The most sophisticated version of my argument, so far anyway,
appeared in the Review of Politics (Fall, 1996) "Deep Ecology and
Liberalism: The Greener Implications of Evolutionary Liberalism." It is
also available on my web site www.dizerega.com - which is currently down for
a while but will be up again soon.
Best,
Gus diZerega
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