Emerson: Political WritingsKenneth S. Sacks Ralph Waldo Emerson is the central figure in American political thought. Until recently, his vast influence was most often measured by its impact on literature, philosophy and aesthetics. In particular, Emerson is largely responsible for introducing idealism into America in the form of living one's life self-reliantly. But in the past few decades, critics have increasingly come to realize that Emerson played a key role in abolitionism and other social movements around the time of the American Civil War. This selection for Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought highlights not only Emerson's practical political involvement, but also examines the philosophical basis of his political writings. All of the usual series features are included, with a concise introduction, notes for further reading, chronology and apparatus designed to assist undergraduate and graduate readers studying this greatest of American thinkers for the first time. |
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Page 17
... hearts of their youth on flame. Thought and knowledge are natures in which apparatus and pretension avail nothing. Gowns, and pecuniary founda- tions, though of towns of gold, can never countervail the least sentence or syllable of wit ...
... hearts of their youth on flame. Thought and knowledge are natures in which apparatus and pretension avail nothing. Gowns, and pecuniary founda- tions, though of towns of gold, can never countervail the least sentence or syllable of wit ...
Page 20
... heart . 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 . Whatsoever oracles the human heart ...
... heart . 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 . Whatsoever oracles the human heart ...
Page 23
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Page 29
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Page 30
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Contents
11 | |
Section 2 | 29 |
Section 3 | 45 |
Section 4 | 47 |
Section 5 | 49 |
Section 6 | 53 |
Section 7 | 75 |
Section 8 | 93 |
Section 12 | 131 |
Section 13 | 135 |
Section 14 | 153 |
Section 15 | 155 |
Section 16 | 157 |
Section 17 | 169 |
Section 18 | 191 |
Section 19 | 195 |
Section 9 | 101 |
Section 10 | 115 |
Section 11 | 127 |
Section 20 | 219 |
Section 21 | 233 |
Common terms and phrases
abolitionist action animal appear battle of Austerlitz beauty believe better Bonaparte Boston brave character church citizen civil constitution crime divine doctrine England evil fact faith Fate fear feel force freedom friends genius George Ripley give Goethe hands heart honor hour human impressionable instinct intellect John Brown justice labor learned limp band live look Lord Elgin man’s Massachusetts means mind Mirabeau moral Napoleon nation nature never numbers opinion Osawatomie party persons Phidias phrenologist plant Plato poet politics poor race religion resist rich scholar selfish sentiment slave slavery society soul speak spirit stand statute strong sublime talent things thought thousand tion to-day true truth Union universe vesicle virtue vote Whig whilst whole wise wish woman women words young Zoroaster
Popular passages
Page 14 - Each age, it is found, must write its own books ; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding. The books of an older period will not fit this. Yet hence arises a grave mischief. The sacredness which attaches to the act of creation, — the act of thought, — is instantly transferred to the record.
Page 17 - Of course, there is a portion of reading quite indispensable to a wise man. History and exact science he must learn by laborious reading. Colleges, in like manner, have their indispensable office, - to teach elements. But they can only highly serve us, when they aim not to drill, but to create; when they gather from far every ray of various genius to their hospitable halls, and, by the concentrated fires, set the hearts of their youth on flame.