Self-Reliance and Other Essays

Essayist, poet, and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was a founder of American Transcendentalism, a philosophy emphasizing self-reliance, introspection, and the importance of nature for the human being. He was a prescient critic of the dehumanizing tendencies of modern society, especially the then-nascent industrialization, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States. The six essays selected from Essays, First Series (1841) and Essays, Second Series (1844) offer a sampling of his views, outlining his moral idealism as well as a hint of the later skepticism that colored his thought. In addition to the celebrated title essay, "Self-Reliance", the others included here are "History," "Friendship," "The Over-Soul," "The Poet," and "Experience".