Question

explain what thoreau finds wrong with the majority rule. What does he say is the only obligation he has the right to assume?

Answer 1

Explanation:  Thoreau was a philosopher, writer and devotee of nature. His philosophy was based on independence, freedom of mind. He felt that the government was restricting people from taking care of themselves, their needs. He was not an anarchist but believed in minimal, almost no governmental restrictions.

He considered the rule of the majority is not good, because it implied the compulsion of having to go with the group and follow the rules of the group, which was restrictive for him. The only obligation, according to Thoreau, was to follow his conscience. That way, he would only do what he thought was right, and he would be obliged to do only what was right.