Do you think my theory on anecdotal experience-reliant “self-reliance” overestimation is valid?

This one set me back a bit. I always thought of Thoreau as an idealist and a person that inspired some pretty important ideas about "civil disobedience." It seems too broad a brush and I would be afraid of being included in the criticism by a technicality. Some philosophers would wonder if we removed the word "anecdotal" from your statement, would it still be accurate? And what would it be like not to require experience for understanding? How can we limit your theory so that experience still counts as evidence for science? Remember our exchange about what should be included in your faith? Am I missing the main idea?