This study offers the first comprehensive account of Emerson's philosophy since his philosophical rehabilitation began in the late 1970s. It builds on the historical reconstruction proposed in the author's previous book, Emerson's Metaphysics, and like that study draws on the entire Emerson corpus—the poetry and sermons included. The aim here is expository. The overall though not exclusive emphasis is on identity, as the first term of Emerson's metaphysics of identity and flowing or metamorphosis. This metaphysics, or general conception of the nature of reality, is what grounds his epistemology and ethics, as well as his esthetic, religious, and political thought. Acknowledging its primacy enables a general account like this to avoid the anti-realist overemphasis on epistemology and language that has often characterized rehabilitation readings of his philosophy. After an initial chapter on Emerson's metaphysics, the subsequent chapters devoted to the other branches of his thought also begin with their "necessary foundation" in identity, which is the law of things and the law of mind alike. Perception of identity in metamorphosis is what characterizes the philosopher, the poet, the scientist, the reformer, and the man of faith and virtue. Identity of mind and world is felt in what Emerson calls the moral sentiment. Identity is Emerson's answer to the Sphinx-riddle of life experienced as a puzzling succession of facts and events.

This edition includes: Introduction: Ralph Waldo Emerson Books: The Conduct of Life: Fate Power Wealth Culture Behavior Worship Considerations by the Way Beauty Illusions Essays-First Series: History Self-Reliance Compensation Spiritual Laws Love Friendship Prudence Heroism The Over-Soul Circles Intellect Art Essays-Second Series: The Poet Experience Character Manners Gifts Nature Politics Nominalist and Realist New England Reformers Nature: Commodity Beauty Language Discipline Idealism Spirit Prospects Representative Men: Plato Emanuel Swedenborg Michel de Montaigne William Shakespeare Napoleon Johann Wolfgang von Goethe English Traits: First Visit to England Voyage to England Land Race Ability Manners Truth Character Cockayne Wealth Aristocracy Universities Religion Literature The Times Stonehenge Personal Result Speech at Manchester Society and Solitude: Civilization Art Eloquence Domestic Life Farming Works and Days Books Clubs Courage Success Old Age Letters and Social Aims: Poetry and Imagination Social Aims Eloquence Resources The Comic Quotation and Originality Progress of Culture Persian Poetry Inspiration Greatness Immortality Addresses and Lectures: The American Scholar An Address in Divinity College Literary Ethics The Method of Nature Man the Reformer Lecture on The Times The Conservative The Transcendentalist The Young American Letter to President Van Buren The Man of Letters The Celebration of Intellect... Other Essays: The Lord's Supper Thoughts on Modern Literature Walter Savage Landor The Senses and the Soul Transcendentalism Prayers Fourierism and the Socialists Chardon Street and Bible Conventions Agriculture of Massachusetts Harvard University English Reformers Europe and European Books The Tragic Past and Present Perpetual Forces Demonology The Preacher Milton Thoreau Michael Angelo Plutarch Ezra Ripley Mary Moody Emerson Samuel Hoar Carlyle George L. Stearns Saadi American Civilization The Fortune of the Republic The Sovereignty of Ethics The Natural History of Intellect...

Ralph Waldo Emerson's 'The Wisdom & The Philosophy' is a seminal work that delves into the transcendentalist movement of the 19th century. With its eloquent prose and profound insights, Emerson explores the interconnectedness of nature, the human spirit, and the universe. His writing style is characterized by a blend of poetic language and philosophical musings, making this book a timeless classic in American literature. Drawing on themes of self-reliance, individualism, and the importance of intuition, Emerson's work continues to inspire readers to search for deeper meaning in their lives. This book serves as a philosophical guide for those seeking to connect with the world around them and tap into their own inner wisdom. It offers a unique perspective on the complexities of existence and encourages readers to embrace their true selves and follow their own path. 'The Wisdom & The Philosophy' is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the profound ideas of one of America's greatest thinkers.

In his 1837 speech "The American Scholar," Ralph Waldo Emerson noted, "life is our dictionary," encapsulating a body of work that reached well beyond the American 19th century. This comprehensive study explores Emerson as a preacher, poet, philosopher, lecturer, essayist and editor. There are nearly 100 entries on individual texts and their personal, historical and literary contexts. Emerson's work is placed within his relationships with family members, fellow Transcendentalists and transatlantic friends, and his commitment to ethics, self-culture and social change. This book provides the fullest possible exploration of Emerson's writing and philosophy. Far ahead of his own time, the man enthusiastically questioned institutions, communities, friendships, history, individuality and contemporaneous approaches to environmental stewardship.

'Standing on the bare ground--my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space--all mean egotism vanishes,' Emerson wrote in Nature, his statement of the principles of transcendentalism. 'I become a transparent eyeball.' Nature, published in 1836 when Emerson was thirty-three, is collected here with his book of observations on the English people; a famous sermon against administering communion in church; a sketch of his step-grandfather; the eulogy he delivered at the funeral of his Concord friend and neighbor Henry David Thoreau; twenty-three poems; and addresses, lectures, and essays on such subjects as slavery, self-reliance, and organized Christianity's obsession with the person of Jesus. Emerson called transcendentalism another word for idealism--'hypothesis to account for nature by other principles than those of carpentry and chemistry.' Considered intensely radical at a time when materialism and a rigid form of Christianity were ascendant, he urged Americans to 'enjoy an original relation to the universe.' These selections span Emerson's career as author and traveling lecturer, and chart his evolving thought: the concepts of the 'over-soul,' individualism without egotism, and antimaterialism; a belief in intuition, independence, and 'the splendid labyrinth of one's own perceptions.'