The Thoreau Society: Membership

"The fact is I am a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot." HDT

On this Page:

The Thoreau Society's Transcendental Roots
Thoreau's Legacy
Countries with Members in the Thoreau Society
See what organizations Thoreau Joined
Join the Thoreau Society

The Thoreau Society's Transcendental Roots

Henry D Thoreau associated himself with the New England Transcendentalists, a small group of conscientious writers and philosophers who lived during the nineteenth century and had the ambition through their individual works to define the American character and to give the burgeoning country a national identity.

The philosophy of Transcendentalism is based on the idea that reality is understood both empirically through the senses and abstractly (or spiritually) through the intuition. It has its origins in the German idealism of Immanuel Kant and his commentators, especially Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Other influences include Neoplatonism and eastern philosophy and religion, including Indian and Chinese scripture.

Ideas similar to those of the Transcendentalists can be observed during the twentieth century in the works of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. Through the writings primarily of Thoreau and Emerson, and particularly in Thoreau's masterpiece Walden, the New England Transcendentalists established the uniquely American genre of nature writing, and the majority of nature writers, from John Muir to Edward Abbey, have been inspired by the Concord authors. Today Thoreau is recognized by E.O. Wilson and others for his pioneering scientific works in the fields of ecology and biodiversity studies.

The Thoreau Society—in promoting Thoreau’s life, works, and legacy—helps to foster an appreciation for the relevance of both the sciences and the humanities for understanding our place in today’s world. Founded in 1941, the Thoreau Society is the oldest and largest organization devoted to an American author. Our members represent a wide range of professions, interests, and communities across the United States and around the world. They are connected by the conviction that Henry Thoreau and the New England Transcendentalists had important things to say and crucial questions to ask that are just as significant in our time as in theirs. Join the Thoreau Society!

Each July, the Society hosts an Annual Gathering and welcomes visitors and members from around the globe to participate in 4 days of walks, talks, and gathering with friends. The events attracts top talent from the best universities and colleges but are relaxed enough that most attendees come comfortably attired in t-shirts, sandals, and backpacks. All are welcome. Attend an Annual Gathering

Through our programs, publications and events throughout the year, the Thoreau Society is committed to exploring Thoreau's ideas and encouraging every individual to live a deliberate life. As Thoreau writes in Walden:

“I desire that there may be as many different persons in the world as possible; but I would have each one be very careful to find out and pursue his own way, and not his father's or his mother's or his neighbor's instead.”

And again:

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

Thoreau's Legacy

Ecology and Biodiversity Studies

"Thoreau, who rightfully can be called the father of environmentalism, also
deserves iconic status in the scientific fields of ecology and biodiversity studies.
With the verdue rapid upsurge in public attention to all three of these domains,
the study of the Concord Master naturalist and preservation of his memory
becomes all the more important in history."
— Edward O Wilson, Museum Comparative Zoology, Harvard University

Moral and Ethical Philosophy

"Thoreau was a great writer, philosopher, poet, and withal a most practical man, that is, he taught nothing he was not prepared to practice in himself. He was one of the greatest and most moral men America has produced."
— Mohandas K. Gandhi, Indian leader known for his non-violence campaign

"I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation
as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and
passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result of
his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest.
The teachings of Thoreau came alive in our civil rights movement; indeed, they
are more alive than ever before."
— Martin Luther King Jr, American civil rights leader

Literary Masterpiece

"Walden is the only book I own, although there are some others unclaimed on my shelves. Every man, I think, reads one book in his life, and this one is mine. It is not the best book I ever encountered, perhaps, but it is for me the handiest, and I keep it about me in much the same way one carries a handkerchief—for relief in moments of defluxion or despair."
— E.B. White, author of Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and Strunk & White Handbook