Harvard Science Book Talk: Robert Thorson, "The Walden Experiments: The Science of Henry David Thoreau"

Henry David Thoreau’s Walden stands as the foundational text for the environmental movement and as a model for the practice of nature writing. 

In The Walden Experiments, Robert Thorson tells the story of how, after several discarded drafts of social critique, Thoreau resuscitated Walden with a sharp swerve toward science. Thorson invites us to read—or reread—Walden to discover the observations, empirical thinking, and scientific explanations supporting this canonical work of literature. Chapter by chapter, he guides us through Walden’s relevance for such contemporary scientific concerns as climate change, ecological collapse, water supply, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and technology.

Thoreau's first “experiment” of living deliberately took place in a one-room house at Walden Pond from 1845 to 1847. This was followed from 1851 to 1852 by a little-known second experiment of trying to live deliberately in the midst of society as a sojourning scientist. Thorson’s account of a science-revitalized version of Walden helps us appreciate Thoreau's masterpiece not only for its prophetic, lyrical, uplifting, witty, and timeless advice on living sustainably, but also as a historic benchmark for anchoring our modern solutions. Exploring the science that underlies Walden enhances our understanding of the deeper meanings Thoreau draws from nature.

Robert M. Thorson is Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Connecticut where he teaches courses in advanced geoscience and science communication. During the Fall 2026 semester, he is an affiliate of the Transcendentalism Initiative at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School. His scholarship bridges the intellectual apartheid between STEM science and the humanities. He has written for outlets such as The Atlantic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, Orion, and The Conversation. In addition to The Walden Experiments, he is the author of Walden’s Shore: Henry David Thoreau and Nineteenth Century Science, The Boatman: Henry David Thoreau’s River Years, and The Guide to Walden Pond.

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