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Thoreau Materialism

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Thoreau Materialism
The age of technological advancements has arrived, and materialism is sweeping through the country at an increasing pace. Americans desire to live a lifestyle complete with the latest technology. Technology has spread to many different areas in life. Henry David Thoreau promoted a life that denied materialistic values. Although not all of his views could improve today’s society, some of them should be reintroduced. As materialism moves through the United States, citizens should choose a balance of Thoreau’s values and technological values. Recent technological advancements affect people in all aspects of life. A common use of technology is for personal purposes. This is evident in devices such as smartphones, computers, and televisions. Nearly two-thirds of Americans own …show more content…
It has led to important advancements in areas such as medicine. Without the materialistic acts that have taken place in the recent years, the United States would be lacking in medical development. For example, cancer research would not be as advanced as it is today without materialism causing new technology. The medical world is improving each day, and without the help of materialism in the laboratories, there would not be as many medical breakthroughs. Another achievement that would not be possible without materialism and technological advancements is efficiency throughout the country. The efficiency is present in transportation and production. In Thoreau’s time, these aspects were not present. There were no airplanes to transport people to other countries. There was not an abundance of jobs throughout the country like there are today. The ability to work from coast to coast was not there when Thoreau lived. Because of the advancements that materialism has caused since Thoreau’s life, people should not adopt his views of living in solitude without any materialistic

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