Victor Nuovo: Emerson wrestled with identity, self

25th in a series “The Universe is alive. All things are moral. The soul, which within us is a sentiment, outside us is a law. We feel its inspiration. Out there in history we see its fatal strength.” This was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s firm belief, his creed, and we must measure every word of it. First, within himself there are sentiments, feelings; outside of himself these sentiments become law that exercises fatal strength in the course of history. Emerson’s morality was not soft and sentimental, but strong, v … (read more)

Editor’s note: This is the 34th in a series of essays on the history and meaning of the American political tradition. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s earliest writings, on which the previous essay was based, portray a mind infused with a sunny confidence. In his la … (read more)