Abstract
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) is one of the most consequential voices in U.S. intellectual history. His influential individualistic philosophy is based on his concept of the soul, which he conceives of in religious terms as a divine spiritual essence but at the same time as a decidedly practical force that calls for real-world application. While this translates into a deeply idealist vision of ongoing personal growth, it also feeds into the hypercapitalist paradigm of unrestrained materialistic expansion. The present chapter investigates the relevance of Emerson’s understanding of the soul to contemporary U.S. political culture, specifically exploring its inherent tensions between spirituality and materialism, personal freedom and public interest—and interrogating the premise of abundance in a socioeconomic reality characterized by dwindling resources and ecological crises.
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Notes
- 1.
Sociologists and political scientists have long been expressing alarm over the culturally encouraged political mistrust in the U.S. (cf. Bellah; Eliasoph).
- 2.
Emerson’s gendered language reflects the norms of his time, indicating that he conceived of self-reliance as a predominantly male project. However, by stressing the worth of individual personality and arguing that personal experiences form the basis for pondering social questions, he also provided an important stepping stone for the articulation of women’s rights.
- 3.
Introduced by Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746), the term moral sentiment denotes an innate ethical consciousness that promotes altruistic behavior. Even as individuals have free will and therefore the option of disobeying divine law, they can always gauge the moral quality of their actions by the degree of harmony perceived within their soul.
- 4.
Translated by the author from German.
- 5.
For an in-depth discussion of individualist values as a decisive factor for Donald Trump’s political appeal, see Thierbach-McLean.
- 6.
In Germany, the government-sponsored campaign Besondere Helden (‘Special Heroes’) has addressed this sudden change in priorities in a humorous manner, casting slackers and couch-dwellers as the new saviors of the nation.
- 7.
Tellingly, Henry Ford was known as a great admirer of Emerson and routinely gave out copies of his works as presents.
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Thierbach-McLean, O. (2024). Colliding Circles: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Concept of the Soul Between Spiritual Self-Realization and Materialistic Expansion. In: Louis-Dimitrov, D., Murail, E. (eds) The Persistence of the Soul in Literature, Art and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40934-9_12
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