Thoreau's Ideas On Civil Disobedience During The Transcendental Movement

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This Socratic Seminar was based on Henry Thoreau’s ideas on civil disobedience during the Transcendental Movement. The Socratic Seminar consisted of 13 speakers each representing their claims backed up with quotes and examples. The first claim was about whether the individual is more important than society, and the second claim was whether the laws of the government should be obeyed or if the individual should resist based on morals. Many people brought up examples of Snowden, Thoreau, and other current events. There were a few difficulties in the beginning of the seminar, but it began to level out in the second half. The speakers expressed their own ideologies and opinions which resulted in an unbalanced opinion since only a few people would have different opinions. When the speakers were discussing the first claim I noticed that they interpreted it differently causing the discussion to branch out. The discussion for the second claim was on track, but unbalanced. During the first half of the seminar the speakers discussed the idea of whether the individual is more important than the society. Speakers that agreed with this claim argued that the individual is important as its own self when not being part of society as a whole. Speakers that disagreed responded with their own …show more content…
Kate began the discussion stating that if a law is immoral than it should be your duty not to obey it. Ellis counteracted that point by saying morals of individuals aren’t always correct, so following the laws maintain order. Chris expressed that individuals can only act against wrongdoings, so individuals with harmful motivations do not count. This is an excellent point that wasn’t expected to be brought up. Sabrina added to Chris’s statement explaining that resistance should only be peaceful, but that is her own
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