The two years, two months, and two days Henry David Thoreau spent at Walden Pond represent one of the most well-known experiences in American literary and philosophical history. Thoreau's time at Walden has become something of a legend, one that is alternately lionized and criticized.Yet though many people know of Thoreau's experience at Walden, and the book ... Show More
Yesterday
The Lost Virtue of Thumos (And Why Men Need It)
The ancient Greeks believed the human soul had three parts: reason, appetite, and something called thumos. Thumos is difficult to translate into English. It encompasses anger, noble spiritedness, pride, ambition, a sense of honor, and the drive to act. The Greeks thought it was e ... Show More
53m 5s
May 2019
Thoreau: the writer who went to the woods
Rajan Datar and guests explore the life and legacy of the American thinker Henry David Thoreau and his famous work 'Walden', which describes the young writer's experiment in living simply at Walden Pond in Massachusetts, for two years, two months and two days in the 1840s.
A land ... Show More
39m 58s
Jan 2009
Thoreau and the American Idyll
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 19th century American writer and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau. Anti-slavery activist and passionate environmentalist, Thoreau was above all a champion of self-reliance and individualism. He was also a champion of the simple life, a lover of ... Show More
42m 9s
Sep 2023
Alda Balthrop-Lewis, "Thoreau's Religion: Walden Woods, Social Justice, and the Politics of Asceticism" (Cambridge UP, 2021)
Balthrop-Lewis's Thoreau's Religion: Walden Woods, Social Justice, and the Politics of Asceticism (Cambridge UP, 2021) presents a ground-breaking interpretation of Henry David Thoreau's most famous book, Walden. Rather than treating Walden Woods as a lonely wilderness, Balthrop-L ... Show More
41m 16s
Jun 2024
#372 — Life & Work
<p>Sam Harris speaks with George Saunders about his creative process. They discuss George's involvement with Buddhism, the importance of kindness, psychedelics, writing as a practice, the work of Raymond Carver, the problem of social media, our current political moment, the role ... Show More
41m 32s
Apr 2021
Biographical Sketch of Henry David Thoreau, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
<p>Let's relax and sleep with a lengthy paean of praise written after the death of Thoreau by his contemporary, friend and worshipful admirer, Ralph Waldo Emerson. As obituaries go, it's...a lot.</p> <p>Want to support us and help us stay ad-free? Neat!</p> <p><span style= "color ... Show More
1h 9m