Emerson's ultimate goal?

[jillianb02]

Emerson's works, as we have studied so far, call for a revolution of the mind. He felt that our over-soul was innate, but because of society it becomes dormant; consequentially we must seek solitude from society in order to rediscover it.
What I was unclear on was what Emerson expected or wanted after this 'reawakening' of the over-soul occurred. The textbook (the photocopies we received) claims that "once we conceive the "boundless resources of the soul" we see a similarly unlimited potential for change in society, in humanity, even in nature", however the change that is alluded to is unclear. Evidently Emerson expected some sort of societal revolution, otherwise he would not have invested so much time in spreading the word, but I cannot figure out what it is that he wanted.
A plausible assumption is that Emerson felt if we were 'reborn' and saw the world in a new way, then the conformity that lessened the progress of society would no longer exist.
I just don't know if this is all he wanted, or if he truly felt that a retreat to nature and a rebirth of the over-soul would bring about a complete social revolution.
Thoughts?

[ezram02]

The root of this question revolves around the way we define revolution. Obviously, Emerson wanted people to retreat into nature to rediscover the over-soul and change their thought process from one based on tradition to one based on original thought. Emerson's ultimate desire is to discover truth about all aspects of life, something that can only be done by observing society from a distance as he has done. In the introduction to "Nature," he criticizes the fact that "we are now so far from the road to truth, that religious teachers dispute and hate each other, and speculative men are esteemed unsound and frivolous." Emerson wants to answer the questions that people think are unanswerable. He believes there is an answer for anything, that "every man's condition is a solution in hieroglyphic to those inquiries he would put." There are answers right in front of you; they just need to be decoded.

[jordynz2]

I am confused as well, after the people come back to society from solitude what did he want them to achieve. Obviously religion and the over-soul were important to him he spent much of his time speaking of them and the impact each had on the individual. It is interesting that he targeted young people in his speeches because they are what changes society, but why insult them and their religion? What confuses me is that in class we discussed that he did not mind society but what it did to the individual so how did he expect anything to happen. It was said in class that it is human nature to build societies, so once the individual found him or herself what did he expect. I think he is an extreme idealist and does not really think about what he truly wants to come from this movement before it happens.

[alysonm7]

Emerson advocates getting back to Nature, where an original relationship can be forged with the world. In Nature, there are "essences unchanged by man;space, the air, the river the leaf". In other words, completley untainted by outside forces. This reminds me of the scene in The Scarlet Letter when Hester, Pearl and Dimmesdale go to the woods. For a moment, they are all truly at peace. I believe Emerson advocates this exact emotion and purity in nature.

[chrisd02]

One of Emerson's main focuses is how we view our own surroundings. At the beginning of Nature he talks about the universal world symbolized in the stars. He uses the stars in order to help him rediscover who he is and making each experience new. However, these stars are elusive and distant, which shows their purity since they are so far away from human contact. Emerson encourages us to perceive nature as an integrated whole—and not merely as a collection of individual objects. In order for us to percieve nature plainly we must get rid of our old ways and be open to new ideas. Emerson wants to show us that everything in nature is linked and in order to get in touch with ourselve we have to get in touch with nature.

[keeganw02]

Emerson encouraged his audience to explore their own over-soul, but then contradicted himself by asking them to conform to their societies. I don't think that this was a contradiction on Emerson's part, but rather a more realistic way of looking at the society. Emerson talks about the 'universal soul,' which all men and women share in common. This universal soul incorporates the thoughts and values of the entire population. Emerson's initial thought for people to explore their over-souls, and to express themselves in their society was too idylic. His mention of conformity was a way for him to bring realism to his writing.

[sophied02]

In response to Jillian's original post, i think this also becomes a debate over Emerson's constant contradiction of himself. Emerson must have known that his works would not be available to everyone, especially during that time period, so he must have relied on another form of communication, word of mouth in this case, to spread his ideas. If one person read about his ideas, carried out the actions implied by the essays, then passed thier experiences on to another person, then it goes against the entire idea of looking inside the self to find the oversoul. However, he relied on the spreading of his ideas in order to make the foundations for a social revolution. His contradictions make his actions and their outcomes extremely difficult to follow considering the argument will most of the time do a complete 360 and start at the beginning.

[melissas2]

I think the theories that Emerson developed through out his life and which later became the basis for Transcendentalism were reactionary to American society's move towards industrialism and the resulting replacement of humans with technology. Emerson's desire to return to Nature to discover original thought and the individual's true self is understandable considering that all around him there seemed to be a disconnect between humans. Factories and cold machines started to dominate everyday life, so that things lost an element of personal interaction. Emerson saw a developing society in which people would go to work in a factory and not even necessarily understand the significance of their role in the process. I think ultimatly Emerson felt alienated in the society that focused on mass work labor rather than the individual's capability and he advocated for a rebellion that would force society to reevaluate the value of an individual.