Ralph+Waldo+Emerson

====He seems to feel connected to nature, which is shown in the quote, “There I feel that nothing can befall me in life – no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair.” This also shows that he is comfortable in nature. He feels at one, “In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in the streets or villages.” This fits in with Transcendental beliefs because it is relating to higher reality, the “world of the spirit,” through an inborn power. ====

====Emerson's essay, "Nature in 1836 and "Self-Reliance" in 1841 rejected the prevailing 'Philosophy of epiricism" which held that all knowledge comes from experience, from information acquired by the five senses and the intelectual capacity to reason. ====

====Emerson believed that the purpose of human life was union with the "over-soul." He also believed in self-reliance and individuality, not obedience to outside authority. Were the pathways to self-understanding and to the divine. ====