Thoreau says that soldiers are on the same level as wood, earth, and stones because they blindly do what the government tells them to do. When they do that (rather than paying attention to their own consciences) they are no longer like people.
What does Thoreau say about men serving the state?
What does Thoreau say about the mass of men?
Why do soldiers have the same level as wood, earth, and stones?
What is a certified educator?
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Why does Thoreau compare the government to a machine?
Thoreau compares the government, or "state," to a machine to highlight how the government can cause individuals to ignore their own conscience and become complicit in immoral acts. They become part of a machine that "produces" slavery and warfare.
What are the two issues that Thoreau criticizes?
Thoreau specifically criticizes the "American government" on two issues: slavery and the Mexican War. These two issues show that the government is a machine which produces inequality, hatred, and bloodshed. Individuals are acted upon by the superior physical strength of the machine/state and through coercion are forced to become complicit in its actions. In such a case, Thoreau says individuals should intervene in the functioning of the machine—"Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine." More plainly, he says that in such cases where the law is unjust, we are morally obligated to break the law.
What is Thoreau's valorization of the individual conscience?
Thoreau's valorization of the individual conscience is an expression of his love of personal freedom, something that is achieved only by resisting the machine. The famous example he gives in this essay is his night spent in jail for failing to pay taxes. Being locked up is ironically a way of becoming free; he bonds with his cellmate and derives personal satisfaction from opting out in this small way from participating in the "machine" of the state.
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What does Thoreau say about men serving the state?
Thoreau argues that the "mass of men serve the state . . . not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies." It is as though these men who serve in the standing army, the militia, or as jailers or police constables have "no free exercise" of their morality or judgment. They do not, then, seem to use one of the major faculties that separates us from mere machines; they do not get to exercise their judgment or their own critical faculties. Rather, they merely take direction or instruction from the government. They are more like tools of the state than sentient individuals who have thoughts, ideas, and values of their own. For this reason, Thoreau compares soldiers, and men who do these other government-related jobs, to wood, earth, or stones because they seem designed to perform in one particular way, no more and no less.
What does Thoreau say about the mass of men?
Thoreau argues that the "mass of men serve the state . . . not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies." It is as though these men who serve in the standing army, the militia, or as jailers or police constables have "no free exercise" of their morality...
Why do soldiers have the same level as wood, earth, and stones?
Thoreau says that soldiers are on the same level as wood, earth, and stones because they blindly do what the government tells them to do. When they do that (rather than paying attention to their own consciences) they are no longer like people.
What is a certified educator?
Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team.
