Why is every man a conscience?
Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.
What motto does Thoreau endorse at the beginning of this passage?
That government is best which governs least.
What is Thoreau’s motto?
Thoreau accepts the motto ” that government is best which governs least “
What Thoreau thinks about majority rule?
According to Thoreau, what is the basis of majority rule? He contends that majority rule is not based on justice or fairness but rather on nothing more than the fact that the majority is physically stronger than the minority.
Who are commonly treated as enemies by the state?
“A very few – as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men – serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it….”
What advice does Thoreau give to those living in poverty?
What advice does Thoreau offer to those who live in poverty? The advice that Thoreau offers to those who live in poverty is love your life and money is not the answer to live.
What does Thoreau suggest should be the relationship between government and the individual?
o Thoreau develops the central idea of the relationship between the individual and the state when he asks for “at once a better government” (part 1, par. Thoreau believes that a better government is one in which “majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience” (part 1, par. 4).
What does if a plant Cannot live according to its nature it dies and so a man mean?
13. If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man. He chooses the metaphor of a dying plant to show readers he is discussing matters of life and death.
Is democracy the last improvement possible in government?
“Is a democracy, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government? Is it not possible to take a step further towards recognizing and organizing the rights of man?”