For a man who relished solitude, living in a small cabin by a small pond in the forests of Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau sure got his ideas heard. Can this philosopher who once refused a doormat- because, as he wrote, "It's best to avoid the beginnings of evil"- still inspire people to live in simplicity in today's increasingly complex world? According to Lawrence Buell, professor of American Literature at Harvard, the answer is yes.
