Thank you for visiting Timeless Classic Books. Self-Reliance by transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson reflects his deep belief in individualism; the need for people to avoid conformity and follow their own instincts and ideas. Slf-Reliance was first published in Emerson's 1841 collection, Essays: first series.
American Transcendentalism is an idealistic philosophical and social movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1030s in the eastern United States. The transcendentalist movement arose as a reaction to rationalism and the general state of intellectualism and spirituality at the time. It was influenced by Romanticism, Platonism, and the transcendentalist philosophy of Immanuel Kant or Kantian philosophy. It taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held progressive views on feminism and communal living. A core belief of transcendentalism is in the inherent goodness of people and nature. Supporters believe that society and its institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, and they have faith that people are at their best when truly self-reliant and independent. They also believe that individuals are capable of generating completely original insights with little attention and deference to past masters. It was in his Emerson's Nature Essay, an important piece of American Transcendentalism literature, that the foundation of the American Transcendentalist movement is put forth. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were central figures in transcendentalist philosophy. Henry David Thoreau had read Nature as a senior at Harvard College and took it to heart. It eventually became an essential influence for Thoreau's later writings, including his seminal Walden.
