Publisher Description
The Divinity School Address was delivered by Emerson to the graduating class of Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 15, 1838. At the time, the Harvard community was strongly Unitarian, and Emerson's argument for a more transcendental view of God and faith was seen as radical, and touched off a great controversy. Prompted by his life experience, Emerson questioned the miracles of Jesus, argued for moral intuition over religious doctrine, and discussed the failures of historical Christianity. Although Harvard and the Unitarian church rejected his assertions, Emerson is viewed as a leader of the Transcendental movement and his other literary contributions have had a notable impact on American thought.
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About Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was a renowned lecturer and writer whose ideas on philosophy, religion, and literature influenced many writers, including Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. After an undergraduate career at Harvard, he studied at Harvard Divinity School and became an ordained minister. He led the transcendentalist movement in America in the mid-nineteenth century. He is perhaps most well known for his publications Essays and Nature.
About Sean Runnette
Sean Runnette, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, has also directed and produced more than two hundred audiobooks, including several Audie Award winners. He is a member of the American Repertory Theater company and has toured the United States and internationally with ART and Mabou Mines. His television and film appearances include Two If by Sea, Cop Land, Sex and the City, Law & Order, the award-winning film Easter, and numerous commercials.