Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 09:27:48 -0500
From: Reg Lilly <rlilly-AT-scott.skidmore.edu>
Subject: Re: PLC: Thoreau


deaun moulton wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 17 Nov 1997, George Trail wrote:
> 
> >
> > You know, Hank Thoreau had some interesting ideas about anarchy, the first
> > of which was that it has had a bad press, and the second of which was that
> > its "forms" were infinite. What he knew better than was that anything was
> > formless.
> 
> What?
> 
> > He called, some of y'all might remember, not for no government
> > _immediately_, but immediatly for better government. This has led some
> > folks who don't pay attention when they read (whose number is legion) to
> > presume that he was not an anarchist and to find him pious about "nature"
> > or some other abstract distraction.
> >
> 
> George,
> 
> cites - or quotes - please.

	I know GT responded, but more simply, the quote about 'not for no government
immediately' is to be found in Civil Disobedience.  I guess it'll be a long time
from immediately if Thoreau has anything to do with it -- in the same essay he
says he didn't come into this world to make it a better place to live but simply
to live -- he doesn't seem to have the highest regard for reformers, certainly
not evolutionary reform.


Ciao,
Reg


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