Ralph Waldo Emerson "American Scholar."

Ralph Waldo Emerson "American Scholar."

Emerson's statement is significantly realistic since the ideas of men have inspired much
of the growth of American spiritual history that emphasizes hope and independence. Each man's
state is a hieroglyphic answer to the questions people might ask. Before Ralph accepts it as fact,
he plays it out. Nature, in its shapes and impulses, is already defining its own style. Let us
question the great magic that glows so comfortably around man. Let us ask ourselves, "What is
the purpose of men and nature?" All research aims to discover a theory of existence. We have
theories about races and roles, but we are quite a long way from a conception of life (Emerson,
1893). We are now so removed from the path of wisdom that moral teachers argue and despise
one another, and speculative men are regarded as unsound and trivial. However, good judgment
dictates that the most abstract reality is often the most meaningful. When a valid hypothesis
emerges, it would be its evidence.
Emerson dislikes the fact that religions and Christianity have made the same mistake that
has tainted all efforts to express faith. It seems to us and has existed for centuries to be a
personal, optimistic, ritualistic distortion of the soul doctrines. It has dwelt and continues to
focus on harmful exaggeration regarding the nature of Jesus. The spirit is unconcerned with
people. It invites any man to stretch to the complete circle of the cosmos, with no desires other
than random passion." It's easy to see how this might be incredibly controversial at a theological
seminary, and it was. I do not see any similarities between the modern age and our world today.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON AMERICAN SCHOLAR 3

References

Emerson, R. W. (1893). The American scholar: Self-reliance. Compensation.