Ralph Waldo Emerson's Genius

One word pertains to the historical expanse of knowledge development: legacy. Those who devote their lives to academia are accepting the legacy of their countless predecessors. The major physical manifestation of this legacy are books. From a plethora of studies to critiques of various works, books have become the symbol of education. However, readers can often become encapsulated by various book encounters, to the point in which their writing cannot be called their own. With this in mind, Emerson cautions his audience: “Genius is always sufficiently the enemy of genius by over influence. The literature of every nation bear me witness. The English dramatic poets have Shakespearized now for two hundred years” (3). In this case, as a wealth of

As scholars sustain themselves with knowledge, they are instantaneously leading privy lives. Consequently, the lack of motivation to broadcast this acquired information will lead to a silent death of a potential component of human progress. Emerson reflects upon this ordeal and society’s reliance on a negative connotation of scholars: “There goes in the world a notion, that the scholar should be a recluse, a valetudinarian—as unfit for any handiwork or public labor, as a penknife for an axe” (4). It is apparent that this is a belief that Emerson profusely disagrees with, as he emphasizes the importance of scholars to not only Transcendentalism, but to society as a whole. However, he regards this scenario as one of the stages a scholar can traverse. The additional—and enlightened—stage of a scholar’s relationship to society is the scholar’s ability to maintain an equilibrium of action and truth-seeking. In other words, Emerson argues that the scholar can be the axe, and thus be fit for the workforce. And through acting upon society results in a closer attainment of the universal truth, which Emerson emphasizes as the core of the scholar. Essentially, Emerson regards the scholar who completely refuses to partake in societal customs to be considered a useless component of civilization. In the field of computer science, this belief wholly

This parallels Emerson’s view upon the social interaction of scholars during their objective of utilizing their acquired knowledge. In order to traverse this setting, Emerson believes in the practice of “self-trust”: “They may all be comprised in self-trust. The office of the scholar is to cheer, to raise, and to guide men by showing them facts amidst appearances. He plies the slow, unhonored, and unpaid task of observation” (5). The aforementioned duties of the scholar are what require this “self-trust” or in other words, self confidence. With ample amounts of self-confidence, it is easier to maintain the intellectual identity that scholars have prior to interacting with society. Such strength is an embodiment of the Transcendentalist movement, which essentially claims that individuality is of the utmost importance to “Man Thinking.” However, this philosophy deteriorates in a realistic context. Contrary to this context, Emerson implies that the individual is alway mentally attacked: “He is to resist the vulgar prosperity that retrogrades ever to barbarism, by preserving and communicating heroic sentiments, noble biographies, melodious verse and the conclusions of history” (6). To interpret society as bestial is a dangerous mindset in social interactions. Often, the facts of various matters are clouded by opinions, and thus