Henry David Thoreau: Greatness of Soul and Environmental Virtue
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2015
Abstract
I read Henry David Thoreau as an environmental virtue theorist. In this paper, I use Thoreau’s work as a tool to explore the relation between the virtue of greatness of soul and environmental virtues. Reflecting on connections between Thoreau’s texts and historical discussions of greatness of soul, or magnanimity, I offer a novel conception of magnanimity. I argue that (1) to become magnanimous, most individuals need to acquire the environmental virtue of simplicity; and (2) magnanimous individuals must possess the environmental virtue of benevolence in order to achieve their goals.
Publication
Environmental Philosophy
Publisher
The Journal of the International Association for Environmental Philosophy
Volume
12
Issue
2
Pages
161-184
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Recommended Citation
Corsa, A. J. (2015). Henry David Thoreau: Greatness of soul and environmental virtue. Environmental Philosophy, 12(2), 161-184. https://doi.org/10.5840/envirophil201511326
Comments
This article was published before Dr. Andrew J. Corsa joined Lynn University.