Emerson's ideas are alive and well and very much with us today. Consider that Emerson, now an establishment figure, was a rebel in his time. He could find no relevance in established religion. But, unlike others, he set out to reform it. Many of his ideas now seem obvious and as American as apple pie. But until he spelled them out, no one had thought that Nature was God speaking to man or that wisdom and knowledge flowed from an active not just a contemplative life - or that society might be hostile to new ideas just out of cussedness rather than conviction. His ideas anticipated Thoreau and Whitman, and this collection of his thoughts puts us in touch with the person who hatched many of the ideas that today are as much a part of us as the air we breathe.
Essays included:
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"I must say that I love Emerson! Sometimes it's a little difficult to get through his work. It's not particularly entertaining, but it's full of amazing advice. Emerson had the right idea about life and I love his work. " — Tricia (5 out of 5 stars)
"I must say that I love Emerson! Sometimes it's a little difficult to get through his work. It's not particularly entertaining, but it's full of amazing advice. Emerson had the right idea about life and I love his work. "
" Emerson's climb into the transcendental views of a new society, and the accounts of his trials, allow his pupils to come Into the mindset of his own experiences. "
" Older obscure words and references but a great book indeed. I will read this again soon. "
" Same as Thoreau. Just no my thing. "
" Read the introduction to "Nature" and you will understand me better. "
" So boring. Lofty language leaves you interpreting a sentence over and over, only to realize it says nothing special at all. "
" I love Emerson. It's been a pleasure exploring where he lived in New England. "
" The parts about nature and language are particularly engaging, but the central thrust of his argument is quite simple when it all boils down. I don't know, Emerson is a lot of bombast and not much results. "
" This has pretty much defined religion for me. "
" Who doesn't love Emerson? Raise your hand so that I can stop being your friend. "
" Spirituality for the non-religious- you can really get a lot out of his essays, which are frequently profound. "
" I imagine it was a mistake to listen to the audiobook, for I found it rather hard to follow most of the time, I am guessing if I read it I would have enjoyed it far more. "
" Whew! Emerson is a challenge, but worth it. "
" Nature changed the way I looked at United States History. Not only a must read for philosophy students (obviously) but for American History students who want to study how Intellectual history changed social history. "
" This fucker's a jumped-up graduation speaker at an overpriced private high school, and that's all there is to it. "
" Read for my Early American Lit. class and it was enlightening. I recommend you reading it and deciding for yourself if you agree with Emerson's point of view. "
" more soul candy "
" Absolutely Excellent. Dense I feel like I need to read it again on my next hike! "
" An odd collection of poetry and essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Great stuff in the essays, and highly recommended. Poetry not so much to my taste, but still good stuff. "
" I had to force myself to slow-down and concentrate on each word. Kinda like being back in undergrad or something. But it was very good. I think being forced to slow-down was a reflection of the essence of this essay. "
" Emerson tells of a transcendental way of life that far outweighs the worth and fulfillment of other philosophers of his time. His muse, to me at least, is wisdom manifested. "
" Absolute perfection in my eyes. "
" Si fuera homosexual, definitivamente "saldría del clóset" con el texto de este ensayo. "
" For how much I liked Thoreau, I was surprised I couldn't much tolerate Emerson. "
" I love Ralph Waldo! I can only understand 1 out of every 5 things he says, but the parts I am getting are brilliant. I hear the American Scholar essay is fantastic. Can't wait to read it. "
" I agreed with Emerson's points in Self-Reliance. Although it was difficult to read, he presented his arguments and had substantial evidence to back it up. Nice. "
" I read it before...but would like to read it again...food for thoughts. "
" just the essay self-reliance is the bookclub choice for January discussion "
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.
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