American Literature

Ralph Waldo Emerson, among all historical literary figures is the one most attached to nature. His poems and other writings are living testaments to his devotion to nature. He had lived in the forest, communing with nature and had come up with various literary works inspired by that experience. But he did not confine himself solely to poetry, instead also ventured into discussing his other thoughts particularly in Idealism and Spirituality and the importance of Nature to the two ideas. This world is a world where nature is combined with the achievement of a genuine state of spirituality, whether it is directly or indirectly is not a question the point is there is a very strong link between nature and the understanding and achievement of man of hiss spirit.

In Chapter 6 entitled Idealism, Emerson begins a philosophical gymnastic about truth and the challenges in verifying it. Truth is something internal but we can only make external measures. He said that our senses can deceive us, but that propensity of being cheated by our own body parts and understanding is dismissed immediately because we refuse to accept the fallibility of our senses. The question whether nature is an independent entity or something solely dependent on mankind remains to be a question as Emerson regards it as a force so mysterious that not all can comprehend. He said that We are not built like a ship to be tossed, but like a house to stand.

Then begins the thorough discussion of Emerson about his ideas on Idealism, he begins with the changes brought about by development and technology and its repercussions. Through the advent of invention and innovation, more and more devices and apparatuses are created for need and for luxury. Whether these are meant to help, aid or make our lives easier is out of context, the heart of the matter is the more we invent and the more acquire materials and objects which are not originally part of nature, the more that we become separated from it (nature). This separation creates a sense of autonomy and freedom for us it makes us think that no matter how much change had happened and will happen mankind will always be in command, that we will always remain stable.

His next argument was his admiration and flattery for the poet as he is the only one who gives justice to the beauty and splendor of nature. He begins to talk about the beauty of imagery and other forms of speech which often use nature as reference. He says that the poet creates symbolism thus making it more meaningful and creative. The Tempest, one of William Shakespeares most famous plays was used as example by Emerson. There was a significant emphasis on the  view about time, where Shakespeare defied the norm that time is liberating in the Tempest he actually said that time is restrictive and much like a cage that hinders two people from being together.

Emerson also provided a comparison among the poet, the scientist and the philosopher. While all three of them share a passion to explore, to create and to make human life better they differ in cause and in concern. The poet is largely interested in beauty  the beauty of language, the beauty of events he had experienced, the beauty of his dreams which are about to come and of course the beauty of the world in general, in which a great amount is allocated to nature itself. The philosopher however, is much concerned about the truth, the nature of things and the existence of all things of how the world and everything in it came to be, whether physical or metaphysical. Emerson said that while both the poet and the philosopher would like to achieve a state of spiritual stability, the philosopher has a greater chance to be lost along the road since his thoughts can be deceiving. I would like to go back to the first part of the Chapter where Emerson said that there are things comprehended by our senses which could be wrong but refuse to accept or even consider wrong, in that trap the philosopher is highly to fall. But the fate of the scientist in Emersons discussion is even worse as they rely on abstraction. They do not recognize the need for physical observation or physical interaction. Since they are scientists they would rely more on intangible ideas than beginning with something tangible or at least examine nature itself.

It only goes to show that nature is mans first taste of the world. All the basic information that man needs to be able to understand him and the world he lives in begins with nature as it is the most tangible. The existence of nature is a mystery therefore there is a sense of spirituality that has to be achieved.

According to Emerson, the opportunity to be a genius or an expert in a specific field is a gift given to few. As being an icon or reference in a certain discipline requires much work, experience and study there is a limited number of people who are able to achieve that stature. However, Emerson notes in high regard that despite the limitations of being a genius, all men, women and children have the capacity, ability and opportunity to THINK. This concept I would like to relate again to the first part of the Chapter where Emerson said that the independence or dependence of nature remains unanswerable, this is like a quest for everyone to think and analyze so that there may be someone who will be able to answer. He has high regards for nature but he also recognizes the gifts given to mankind.

In the last part of the Chapter, Emerson goes to refute religion and spirituality As religion and spirituality often connotes that the body and the world are evil, because they are worldly. Emerson also criticizes the belief that the only truth there is, is religious or spiritual truth. Nature arrives at a second-rate level truth where it is no longer regarded as it should be (based on Emersons standards, as he has extensively high regards for nature).

Emerson finishes the Chapter by his circle demonstrating the relationship of people and nature. He emphasizes that there is a Supreme Being greater than nature and man combined therefore he affirms the presence of God as the source of man and nature. He also stresses that contemplating universal ideas can bring one person into metaphysical consciousness (this he is referring to transcendental policy).

In Chapter 7, He regards that there is a force so mysterious that the difficulty of understanding it requires a force greater than human comprehension. However, we as humans feel the force to research and or analyze nature but no matter how hard we try we always arrive in a rather mediocre result. This tells us that Emersons regard for nature is so great that it encompasses the magnificence of mankind, the ability to think of man as man cannot grasp the essence of nature ergo natures mysteries could be something of truthfully great properties that not all men can comprehend.

Emerson examined three questions
What is the matter out of which nature is made
In this part Emerson referred to the philosophy of idealism, where matter, contrary to the customary belief, is regarded not as a substance but as a phenomenon. Therefore, nature is something that does not belong to us or better yet nature is not something that is part of us because we have to experience it, and in order to experience something it has to be apart from ourselves, either an object or an event.

Where did the matter that is nature come from
Emerson regards nature as a force which tries to express itself to us. He begins to talk about a force that is responsible for the creation, pro-creation and re-creation happening to us and our world. And because of this force nature, mankind and spirit no matter how different from one another is united.

Toward what end did it come
The unifying spirit that binds mankind, nature and the rest of the worlds dynamo is what keeps the process of creation revolving, but there is also a line in which Emerson said We are now so far from the road to truth. This tells us of the excesses we have created and brought to this world. In reference to Chapter 6, the innovation and invention we have created for ourselves are the largest forms of walls that separate us from nature. And surely, there will more inventions in the future, it had begun and to put a stop on it will be impossible the technological revolution is what keeps us away from the road to truth. When Emerson lived in the forest, he survived with the most basic resources, this is probably the source of his stand that the more we invent, the more parted we become from nature.

George Berkeley was most famous because of his Theory of Immaterialism, a theory which he claims that humans can only know sensations and ideas of objects but not abstracts like matter. Throughout the discussion, Emerson touched on some points exalted and made famous by Berkeley. In the middle part of Chapter 6, in the comparison among the scientist, the poet and the philosopher, he implied that the person in worst state is the scientist because it is relying largely in abstraction. Scientists especially mathematicians refuse to study or begin a study with observation or anything tangible and this misleads them from finding the truth because their way of spiritualizing the physical world through mental process begins in a wrong point.

These points raised by Emerson matches greatly with George Berkeleys Theory of Immaterialism. Both Emerson and Berkeley believes that to be able to arrive to truth, one must begin with something tangible, in the case of Emerson he was more particular on where to begin, which he clearly stated that one must begin with nature. However, with Berkeley, he was more particular with where not to begin as he said that individuals can only comprehend sensations and ideas of objects but never abstracts. He never mentioned that one must begin with nature, but the two thinkers and their thoughts collaborate.

Both Berkeley and Emerson understand the importance of nature in determining a mans understanding of himself, his spirituality and the world. The concept is therefore supported with facts that to be able to understand something it helps that one has experienced it already or had a concrete experience of it. The senses are highly linked to nature as it is bridges the humanity of man and the mysteries of nature, though there may be no immediate results there is light in communing and trying to reach out to nature as it plays a great part of our composition as mankind.