Ralph Waldo Emerson

A new wide-ranging selection of Ralph Waldo Emerson's most influential writings this edition captures the essence of American Transcendentalism and illustrates the breadth of one of America's greatest philosophers and poets. <p/>The writings featured here show Emerson as a protester against social conformity a lover of nature an activist for the rights of women and slaves and a poet of great sensitivity. As explored in this volume Emersonian thought is a unique blend of belief in individual freedom and in humility before the power of nature. I become a transparent eyeball Emerson wrote in Nature I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. Written over a century ago this passage is a striking example of the passion and originality of Emerson's ideas which continue to serve as a spiritual center and an ideological base for modern thought.