Ralph Waldo Emerson: Nonconformity, Integrity, and Self-Reliance

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Nonconformity, Integrity, and Self-Reliance

Emerson's "transcendentalism" is essentially a romantic individualism, a philosophy of life for a new people who had overthrown their colonial governors and set about conquering a new continent, in hopes of establishing new and unique views. Though Emerson is not a traditional philosopher, the tendency of his thought is toward inward reflection in which soul and intuition, or inspiration, are fundamental. The new American needed less criticism and a rejuvenated sense of personal inspiration. Taking a practical and democratic, yet philosophic interest in all of nature and in individuals of every walk of life. Emerson stresses the potential for genius and creativity in all people.

It is a source of creative insight within which Emerson identifies as divine. According to Emerson, "Mind is the only reality of which men and all other natures are better or worse reflectors." For Emerson, "intuition" is the capability of seeing things creatively. We are limited as humans due to our imperfect nature, but through divine inspiration, and self confidence, we can achieve a higher level of understanding. Therefore, Emerson calls for us to always be prepared to listen to this voice within instead of conforming to societal pressures.

The theme of Self-Reliance is an elaboration of this idealist theme: "we are to follow our own lights." The Over-soul, "the only prophet of that which must be," is both "the act of seeing and the thing seen." It creates our world in depth by means of our insight and interpretations. Emerson's great emphasis upon nonconformity and integrity shows that this Over-soul creates a world through individuals rather than through the conformity of s...

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...nation of how people are seduced into ignoring their own insights and convictions, their own "culture," in order to better profit by their relationship with society. Emerson warns of the seductions of society and supplies a moral counter weight "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. It is better to make your own mistakes and suffer from them than to make the mistakes dictated by another and surrender oneself to dissolution in outside forces."

Though "the sensual man conforms thoughts to things, the poet conforms things to his thoughts." Emerson succeeded in conforming generations of Americans to his thought. Now, in an age where conformity is used in commercials as an advertising gimmick, Emerson would probably offer the following: "Your conformity explains nothing. Act singly, and what you have already done singly will justify you now."