Thoreau as Emersons Philosophical Equivalent

Thoreau as Emersons Philosophical Equivalent. The 19 th -century philosophical and literary causal agency of transcendental philosophy punctuate three things: a Romantic notion, tinged with Asiatic beliefs, of the interrelated alliance mingled with temperament, divinity, and earthly colligate; a trust in intuition, by way of resistless perception; and, lastly, an by-line in the quint indispensable American conception of individuality (Introduction xxv). Ralph Waldo Emerson, as a front both(prenominal) figure, if not the founder, of American Transcendentalism, is a sub of these three tenets, of course. more than uncertain is the extremity to which Henry David Thoreau follow the views of Emerson, who was the most authorised influence and friendship in Thoreaus flavour . A relative reading of the frigid works of these deuce authors disposition and effrontery by Emerson; Walden and apology to Civil giving medication by Thoreau indicates a few differences min gled with the two. Most notably, Thoreau demonstrates a far great preoccupation with coetaneous societal issues and the adjacent world roughly him. However, in the large scope of severally authors ideas, these differences ar nestling; Thoreaus conception of Transcendentalism is effectively tantamount(predicate) to Emersons philosophy. \nTo begin with, Thoreau shares many an(prenominal) of Emersons views of disposition. For instance, as conjuration Ronan and Sherman Paul earlier him have noted, in Walden . Thoreau demonstrates the four uses of nature commodity, language, beauty, and discipline which Emerson outlines in Nature. Paul summarizes it consequently (as quoted by Ronan): kindred Emerson in Nature [Thoreau] began with the prudential, rising through with(predicate) the progressive uses of nature to spirit. Indeed, most of Emersons treatise was collective in Walden . trade good in economic system; Nature and knockout in Sounds and retirement; Language i n Brute Neighbours; fudge factor in Reading. The Beanfield, and higher(prenominal) Laws. Of the four, Discipline is the most significant to twain Emerson and Thoreau. Emerson states that the happiest man is he who assures from nature . Similarly, Thoreau states that his bearing in disbursement time in the woods around Walden Pond is to learn what [nature] had to teach. \nTo Thoreau, natures lessons regard the essential facts of life. To Emerson, the greatest lesson to fix from nature is that of worship. Herein, a divergence between the two transcendentalists becomes apparent. Although twain Emerson and Thoreau agree in the importance of nature as a discipline, Emersons primary concern is the discovery of a religion by manifestation. He turns to nature for such revelation of spiritual noesis because, as he states, in the woods, we occur to. faith. On the separate hand, Thoreau shows a great interest in contemporary life. In the chapter Economy, his nature resource cons istently relates to or is representative of society. For example, Thoreau uses a metaphor describing philanthropic men as plants used in tea-making to express his deviation with charity: Those plants of whose viridity withered we control herb tea for the sick officiate but a humble use, and are most assiduous by quacks. I want the crest and fruit of a man; that most fragrance be wafted over from him to me, and some ripeness flavor our intercourse. \n