Henry David Thoreau's Materialistic Beliefs

Henry David Thoreau was a renowned author and philosopher of the 1800’s who believed that people who have materialistic values reveal a lack of spiritual self-reliance. In today’s world, people depend on mostly technology and other materialistic things. Technology is how many people communicate, secure their finances, and even work. Times have evolved and Thoreau’s belief is no longer one that can be supported one hundred percent. However, Thoreau’s idea is partially appropriate when describing those who depend upon technology for almost everything.

When reading about Thoreau and determining his belief: [people with] materialistic values indicate a basic lack of spiritual self-reliance; it was decided that this belief was partially incorrect when it comes to today’s time and the use of technology. The majority of the people today use technology in a way that is beneficial. Without technology, most of America’s population would not have the ability to carry on with their daily life. Technology has become an essential for many

Thoreau’s belief is that people who find value in materialistic things show that they do not have the ability to rely on their own power or understanding. When it comes to these select people and technology, it seems that they turn to technology for almost everything. They do not feel that they have the ability to solve their problems without the use or possession of technology. People of this nature can be considered lazy because they are not using technology as a benefit, instead, they are using it as an alternative to using their own brain. For example, someone is doing their math homework and have to figure out what nine multiplied to the second power is. Instead of figuring it out on their own, they turn to the calculator, an electronic device, because they feel as if they are not smart enough to figure out on their