Thoreau Was a Philosopher, and Chances Are, You Are, Too

On March 5, 1853, Thoreau wrote in his journal: “I am a mystic—a transcendentalist, & a natural philosopher to boot.” In 2022 Marc Jolley met David Gordon at the Annual Gathering of the Thoreau Society and they agreed to co-edit Thoreau and Philosophy, a collection of essays that examine the philosophical value in Thoreau. Thoreau has been written about as an abolitionist, civil rights advocate, surveyor, pencil-maker, naturalist, environmentalist, and writer. But before any of these, he was (and remained) a philosopher. What does this mean? Is the word “philosopher” a huge turn-off? To some, philosophy is akin to the plague. This presentation will look at what it means to be a philosopher and what a difference it makes to understand Thoreau as a philosopher. And, perhaps more importantly, what it means that you are one, too.

Marc A. Jolley is director of Mercer University Press and Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Great Books at Mercer University. He received his PhD in Hebrew Bible (1993), and his dissertation was on the book of Sirach as it opposed Greek philosophy and culture. He has been in publishing since 1992, and with Mercer since 1995 where he became director in 2003. Since 1986, he has been teaching widely in religious studies, Great Books, and philosophy courses on religion, literature, film, ethics. He has taught seminars on Mary Wollstonecraft, Martin Luther King Jr., and offers one on “Thoreau, Emerson, and Transcendentalism.” He is the editor of three essay collections, notably Why Kierkegaard Matters and author of Safe at Home: A Memoir of God, Baseball, and Family. He currently serves on the board of the Thoreau Alliance.

This program is presented by the Transcendentalism Council of First Parish in Concord as a part of the 2026 Concord Festival of Authors. Books will be available for sale and signing.

This is a hybrid event. Admission is free, but you must register by clicking the Select Tickets button on this page. You will only be sent a link to the livestream on Zoom if you register. Please chose the ticket type (In Person or Zoom) when you register.