What does Thoreau find wrong with the majority rule?
Mia Phillips
Updated on April 23, 2026
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Moreover, why does Thoreau say that the majority often rule?
Thoreau feels that majority rule is incompatible with the rule of indvidual conscience. He writes: Thoreau's thinking is similar to what John Stuart Mill would a few years later call the tyranny of democracy. Just because most people think an idea or path of action is right does not make it right.
Additionally, what does Thoreau say is the only obligation he has the right to assume? The only obligation a man has is the right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right. This is that Thoreau says the only obligation he has the right to assume is the obligation to follow his own conscience.
Keeping this in consideration, what did Thoreau believe about the connection between the majority and Justice?
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 Thoreau mean by better government?
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. Rather, for the moment, he is asking for a better government.
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