Loci communes and thoreau's arguments for wilderness in “walking” (1851)

Abstract

Perelman and Olbrechts‐Tyteca's concept of loci communes is investigated for its contributions to a critical methodology. It is argued that discourse relying upon different loci may lead to different construals of the APPEARANCE‐REALITY pair and, hence, to different interpretations of the value of a given object, idea, or action. Analyses of Henry David Thoreau's “Walking” (1851) and other Transcendentalist writings on behalf of wilderness are used to illustrate theoretical and methodological claims.