What does Thoreau mean when he writes, “Government is at best an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient?”a. Thoreau means that
the government does better when they are not involved in an issue
. They are better when the government stays out of it.
What does Thoreau mean when he says that government never of itself furthered any enterprise but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way Part 1 Par 2 )? To which enterprises is he referring?
Thoreau describes how government cannot and should not be involved in enterprise when he writes, “this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way.” Specific enterprises to which Thoreau refers are
education, protecting the country, and settling new
…
What does Thoreau mean when he says government is at best but an expedient?
He says government is “at best but an expedient” (part 1, par. 1), which means that
government can solve a problem or achieve a goal in certain cases, but it cannot do anything more
. Thoreau also says that “most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient” (part 1, par. 1).
What is the meaning of government according to Thoreau?
Thoreau refers to the government as an expedient. What does he mean? He means
the government is practical and convenient, but may be immoral
.
What does Thoreau mean when he states I ask for not at once no government but at once a better government?
It is often “abused and perverted” so that it no longer represents the will of the people. “But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. … Rather, for
the moment
, he is asking for a better government.
What type of government does Thoreau want?
How does Thoreau define the best possible kind of government? Thoreau envisions the best kind of government as on that does not govern. He supports
laissez-faire (free enterprise, free trade, noninterfering)
.
How does it become a man to behave toward this American government today?
How does it become a man to behave towards the American government today? I answer, that
he cannot without disgrace be associated with it
.
What is the meaning of letting one another alone and let alone in Part 1 paragraph 2?
What is the meaning of “letting one another alone” and “let alone” in part 1, paragraph 2? • “Letting one another alone” describes how people should treat each other; it describes how people should not interfere with or harm each other).
How does Thoreau believe the government has been abused and perverted?
As it is, government rarely proves useful or efficient. It is often “abused and perverted” so that it no longer represents the will of the people. … Thoreau says that
government does not
, in fact, achieve that with which we credit it: it does not keep the country free, settle the West, or educate.
What does Thoreau ask his readers to do at the end of the text?
In “Civil Disobedience” philosopher Henry David Thoreau asks his readers to
take a step toward and demand and obtain the type of government they want
. The author argues that citizens must disobey the rule of law when those laws are unjust.
What does Thoreau consider the most effective way of expressing his displeasure with the government?
Thoreau considers
civil disobedience
one of the most effective ways of expressing his displeasure with the government. Civil disobedience, as the name suggests, is the active disregard and breaking of a government rule when a private citizen believes it is unnecessary or even against society’s best interests.
Does Thoreau believe that a democracy is the last possible improvement in America’s government?
“Is
a democracy
, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government? … “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”
What did Thoreau believe?
Thoreau’s attitude toward reform involved his
transcendental
efforts to live a spiritually meaningful life in nature. As a transcendentalist, Thoreau believed that reality existed only in the spiritual world, and the solution to people’s problems was the free development of emotions (“Transcendentalism”).
How does Thoreau feel 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.
What does a standing government mean?
A “standing army” is one that is maintained by a government on an ongoing basis. The “standing government” is
the one that is currently in place
. The first one is permanent, the second one is temporary.
What does Thoreau mean when he says the government itself which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the?
Thoreau believed
that people had the ability to govern themselves
. … “The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it.
