In several recent threads, both here and in the spirituality forum (see 'Cain and Abel' and 'Cain and Abel 2.0'😉, I have made some posts which essentially present an anarcho-primitivist analysis of history and critique of consumerist culture. Henry David Thoreau, it seems, is often regarded as being the grandfather of the anarcho-primitivist school of thought, and his book Walden continues to have a great influence. Unfortunately, I have not yet read the book, so you'll have to forgive me for quoting at length from Wikipedia:
Walden emphasizes the importance of solitude, contemplation, and closeness to nature in transcending the "desperate" existence that, he argues, is the lot of most people. The book is not a traditional autobiography, but combines autobiography with a social critique of contemporary Western culture's consumerist and materialist attitudes and its distance from and destruction of nature. That the book is not simply a criticism of society, but also an attempt to engage creatively with the better aspects of contemporary culture, is suggested both by Thoreau's proximity to Concord society and by his admiration for classical literature. There are signs of ambiguity, or an attempt to see an alternative side of something common.
Thoreau regarded his sojourn at Walden as an experiment with a threefold purpose. First, he was escaping the dehumanizing effects of the Industrial Revolution by returning to a simpler, agrarian lifestyle. Second, he was simplifying his life and reducing his expenditures, increasing the amount of leisure time in which he could work on his writings (most of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers was written at Walden). Much of the book is devoted to stirring up awareness of how one's life is lived, materially and otherwise, and how one might choose to live it more deliberately. Third, he was putting into practice the Transcendentalist belief that one can best "transcend" normality and experience the Ideal, or the Divine, through nature.
Are people and groups like James Lee (the Discovery Channel hostage taker), Ted Kazynski (the Unabomer), and ELF (Earth Liberation Front) a logical outgrowth of Thoreau's thought, given that the destruction of the Earth's ecosystem has increased dramatically since the 19th century? Can we expect more such action from people who are alarmed at the prospect of an impending ecological catastrophe?
As long people keep pumping the idea that people are evil and that the world would be better without us, some people will take it seriously and act out on it.
Of course people who have this point of view usually don't do the most natural act and off themselves. Isn't it logical that you should kill yourself if you love the earth and believe that humans (like yourself) are destroying the earth?
No, people like that believe they should be one of the survivors and that other people need to die.
Originally posted by EladarDo you think Thoreau's critique of western consumerist culture has any merits? Or was he just a kook who spent too much time alone?
As long people keep pumping the idea that people are evil and that the world would be better without us, some people will take it seriously and act out on it.
Of course people who have this point of view usually don't do the most natural act and off themselves. Isn't it logical that you should kill yourself if you love the earth and believe that humans (l ...[text shortened]... eople like that believe they should be one of the survivors and that other people need to die.
