Emerson believed in self-reliance, fact that people needed not mediator between God and

themselves. In Nature and The American Scholar, much talk upon need for American tradition.

Thoreau spent 2 yrs in woods in Emerson’s property; in Walden, adds to initial tenets of
transcendentalism; observation of natural landscape and commentary on ways in which man may
live harmoniously with nature rather than controlling or taming it, homogeneously. Was also an
activist in the abolitionist movement: belief in freedom for everyone, all men and all women, respect
for every living creature (in a sense, first ecologists and environmentalists).

Underground railroad is path slaves took from plantations to Canada when sought to free themselves
from tragic despotic context in which stood in South – that of slavery. Emerson participated in this.

Fugitive Slave Act 1850 -> part of Compromise of 1850, signed by Congress between Southern and
Northern states, to keep balance between free and slaveholding states as nation was growing &
more states entering union, in order to avoid war. Slaves found in North were to be brought back to
their masters in the South, required by law. Nicknamed ‘Bloodhound Law’ by abolitionists, sort of
dog sent to track runaway slaves.

Margaret Fuller was for couple years editor of The Dial transcendentalist magazine. Espoused
transcendentalism that she may deal with oppression of women.

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Emerson addresses a literary soc. Oldest honour soc for liberal arts & sciences, Phi Beta Kappa Soc, at
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Their motto was ‘Love of Learning is the Guide of Life’.

‘Intellectual declaration of independence’ according to Holmes, that text; cornerstone of American

Need to do away with past to certain extent; finding inspiration does not mean copying, hafta do
away with narratives imposed by Europe. Good economy not enough; let us shape minds of our
people by creating philosophies of life, putting together national lit to elevate mind of our nation.

In parts I and II, focus on the scholar proper. Before can become teacher to all, must learn and train,
to become man thinking rather than mere parrot.

To learn to become creator, scholar must study nature, as is ultimate creator; books written in the
past also of utmost importance as source of inspiration, can teach scholar number of techniques in
order to become creator thinker, in order to produce own philosophy of life, one meaningful within
present context.

Americans have been focused on solving very practical issues rather than being able to pursue the
arts, to do w/ political & economic growth of country. Through enumeration, drawing of contrast
between gatherings of Europe and the Antique and the Americans, who have been on ‘holiday’ – love
of letters survives as ‘instinct’, which should not be, must become part of institutions brought about.
Europeans been producing scientific works; Americans been leisuring about.

American society in deep slumber which must awaken from (that of industrial advancement and
economic activity). Call for America to focus on less benousic perspectives.

Intellectual food ‘foreign harvests’; calling for independent American scholarship rooted in American
landscape and experience, have to be sources of inspiration of our scholars.
‘Poetry’ synecdoche for American letters, which may one day grow and play leading role, have
prominent place in global literary production. Despite America’s lack of interest in letters and focus
on technological advances, long history of dependence in Europe, American intellect, which is yet to
grow, will one day enjoy days of glory – such is Emerson’s prediction. Those responsible therefor are
the scholars of America, synecdoche to American scholarship in general, America’s intellectual
tradition.

‘One Man’ allegory in reference to Plato’s Symposium w/ Zeus chopping people up for being too
arrogant – a little difference here, where perfect man became millions of men, farmers, smiths, etc,
but never a holistic man, conscious that one’s work and labor impacts all others’. Biblical
Deuteronomy division by God also at play here. Original man unit transformed into multitude with
variety of traits, such that society may function.

Men forgot they should not function just for their own sake but work for all mankind. Emerson
critiques individualism to be found in all societies, equated w/ selfishness, as one works one’s trade
and forgets about the rest. Man is isolated from the over-soul that connects us all after divine
creation. In transcendentalism, individualism should exist in self-reliance, not selfishness. Men no
longer serve ‘the greater good’ but themselves; such is issue w/ American scholar, not man thinking
anymore.

‘Mere thinker’ parrot of other men’s thinking, a pseudo-scholar who will not produce any creative
work, merely repeat what was said or done, has no truly useful and model social function, whereas
man thinking is the true teacher, is the one who is going to help shape the future by producing new
philosophy of life. Man thinking creates, works towards the good of the whole society, participates in
improving intellect & minds of his/her people. Mere thinker is the mimic-man, instrumentalized by
what was already written and said, is just going to repeat – no idea of creative production of new
knowledge, rooted in American landscape & experience. Let’s do away with [Europe/ the past].

‘All things have two handles. Beware of the wrong one.’ As scholar, you will want to make the choice
of truly American original intellectual tradition rather than doing what was already done – that is,
repeating already known narratives, taken from elsewhere. Be careful what choice you make, which
side you pick.

First meaningful influence on scholar is nature. ‘We are all divine’ in that web of God is tenet of
transcendentalism. Nature associated with lexical field of permanence in first paragraph of first part.
Never-ending cycle of nature -> relying on anaphoras -> quoting from text ‘The first in time and the
first in importance of the influences upon the mind is that of nature’; ‘every day, the sun; and, after
sunset, night and her stars. Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows’ -> nature perennial in its
existence.

‘Therein it resembles his own spirit, whose beginning, whose ending he never can find’ -> Emerson
making argument that nature and man thinking share similar functioning, share complex web-like,
neverending, perduring, enduring capacity for creation, for renewal. ‘Nature hastens to render
account of herself to the mind’ -> plays didactic role. Nature personified becomes teacher; 19 th c. of
expansion, US growing, expanding its territories & slowly but surely including more states into the
union.

By beginning of 20th c., US lost half of its forest, hence why Roosevelt voted laws to protect American
forests under presidency. Mining and timber industries, Gold Rush… have all contributed to
destruction of natural landscape. Idea that human beings must control, tame nature, in the US,
comes from Book of Job, wherein human beings said to be superior to any creature, should subdue
the earth, all the more important as gospel to protestants. Emerson contradicts puritan mindset.
Nature seen as place where devil dwells thereby, evil – these perspectives are heretical to Emerson.

Scholar must become aware of very own power of creation, which goes in all directions. ‘Unifying
instinct’ of nature, which actually tends to bring coherence to what looks chaotic. There’s the social
responsibilities of the scholar: to give meaning to the world where nobody else sees it.

The soul of the soul is God, the divine, original creative power – scholar and nature share same
original thoughts, which energizes creation. ‘One is leaf and one is flower’; ‘one is seal and one is
print’ anaphoras and parallel structures.

‘Opposite of’ mirror image, not contrary, on the contrary. About collusion between the two. The
more you know nature, the more you know yourself – they are equivalent. Scholar must learn about
his own creative skills and develop them, for they are intrinsic.

Emerson critiques transformation of every scholar or scholarly work into an idol, and into doctrine, or
dogma.

Scholar must have critical mind. In books from the past, some elements from the past certainly can
be applied today; others are restrained to more specific context. It’s a question of perspective and –
preferably informed – opinion. Producing knowledge and writing it down can be learned, as a
process, from reading books from the past. Emerson discusses transmutation process, and then that
of distillation.

Transmutation -> a scholar/book can be an inspiring force, as scholar transforms facts of life into
knowledge, truths, at least for time/context in which these truths are produced. When Emerson
describes transformation of ‘short-lived actions’ into ‘immortal thoughts’, this is what that process is
– turning life into thought. Scholars derive knowledge from experience/living, give them meaning by
theorizing them and writing about them in their books.

Hence why books from the past turn out necessary. Distillation -> must rely/focus on the
‘imperishable’, that which universal value and can be carried from one generation to the next, and
still be relevant in a different historical context. Scholar must pick and choose – take things from
books and leave others, and not all books from the past will be useful in the present. Process of
distillation very rarely achieved properly in books. ‘No air-pump can by any means make a perfect
vacuum’ -> certain aspects of each book will be relevant to the present, and others, not.

‘Each age, it is found, must write its own books’ never enough to rely on past books; scholar must
create in context.

———

Thoreau wanted to stand up against government bc slave government and Mexican-American war
going on at the time. War considered illegal by Thoreau and the likes.

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Read first part of Civil Disobedience