從《湖濱散記》我們可以瞭解梭羅是一位實際的夢想家。不同於其他許多只提出形而上思想的超驗主義者，梭羅希望能將夢想付諸實行。透過他在《湖濱散記》裡的論述和描述，他希望人們瞭解到崇高的理想並非遙不可及，而是只要在追求夢想的同時也認知現實。因此當梭羅看見美國社會因為工業革命而有了巨大的變遷，他希望藉由帶領人們看見真理進而使其生活回到正軌。因此，本論文將會探索梭羅的改革理念且進一步探討這些改革將如何因更真理而改變人們的生活。
此論文的第一章是篇簡短的介紹。第二章將由三個角度探討梭羅對於自我陶冶的理想:簡單的生活、接近大自然、以及坐言起行。透過自我陶冶個人可以被喚醒也可以因此重新自我探索。雖然梭羅對於自我陶冶的概念主要是提倡個人主義的重要，但是他其實希望藉由適度地追求個人主義而可以為社會帶來更多福祉。由此我們可以看出梭羅對於社會改革的重視，也因此我們將在第三章中探討他對於社會的一些改革理想。該章節將會由教育、文化、以及自由三個面向去分析梭羅的社會改革理想。梭羅注意到當時由於人文精神的缺失導致社會的分崩離析，因此他的社會改革強調人文在社會中的重要性。第四章將探討梭羅對於建造一個理想世界的概念。對於梭羅而言，只要人們被喚醒並且能看見生命中的真理，世界就可以更美好。當人們可以超越表徵看見永恆不變的真理，他們即可超脫世俗的想法進而做出對個人和社會都有貢獻的事情。本論文第五章將總結各章重點，藉由探討梭羅在《湖濱散記》中提到的改革思想，我們可以進一步瞭解身為社會改革家的梭羅鼓勵人們能夠以現實做為基礎勇於追尋崇高的理想。

In Walden we see that Thoreau is a practical dreamer. Unlike many other transcendentalists who only propose metaphysical ideas, Thoreau aims at putting ideas into action. Through his narration and description in Walden, he seems to suggest that building idealistic dreams high in the air is no great hardship when solid foundations are placed underneath them. While noticing that the American society was undergoing a tremendous transformation, Thoreau wishes to bring his people back to the right track by guiding them to see truth in life. Thus, this thesis will also investigate his ideas of reforms and see how they can make a difference to people’s lives by leading them closer to truth.
To begin with, chapter one will give a brief introduction to my thesis. Chapter two will examine Thoreau’s ideas of cultivation of the self from three aspects: living a simple life, getting close to nature, and taking action. Through the cultivation of the self, individuals will be refreshed and thus rediscover themselves. Albeit the cultivation of the self promotes individuality, it aims at pursuing the well-being of the whole society. Therefore, Thoreau’s ideas of reforming society will be scrutinized in chapter three. I will investigate his reforming ideas of society from three angles: education, culture, and liberty. Noticing that society has fallen apart due to the loss of humanity, Thoreau’s ideas of social reforms aim at bringing humanity back to society. In my chapter four, I will discuss Thoreau’s ideal of building a better world. To Thoreau, the world can be a better place only when people are awakened and can see truth. When people can penetrate the changes they see in life and find eternity in them, they will get rid of mundane thinking and do what is really good for both the individual and society. The concluding chapter will restate his concerns about society and review his ideas of reforms discussed in previous chapters. By studying Walden, we can see that Thoreau, as a social reformer, encourages people to pursue big dreams in a practical way.

Table of Contents

Chapter One Introduction……………………………………………..1
Chapter Two Cultivation of the Self………..……………………..…14
Chapter Three Reforming Society………………………………….…34
Chapter Four Pursuit of a Better World……………………………...52
Chapter Five Conclusion………………………………………….…69
Works Cited…………………………………………………………75

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