Although known as a founder of the transcendentalist movement, nineteenth-century Unitarian minister Ralph Waldo Emerson actually considered his own philosophical investigations idealism, the belief that humankind should reject experience and materialism in favor of intuition, inspiration, and spiritual awakening. His most powerful essays are featured here, including Nature, Plato, Spiritual Laws, Circle, and Experience, along with insightful commentary that explains how Emerson and the New England transcendentalist movement helped define American culture.
Richard G. Geldard, PhD, received his doctorate from Stanford University, taught philosophy at Yeshiva University and currently teaches at the Pacifica Graduate Institute. His books include The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Lindisfarne, 2001), God In Concord (Larson, 1999), The Traveler's Key to Ancient Greece (Quest 2000), Remembering Heraclitus (Lindisfarne, 2000) and a novel, The Find At Ephesus, (West End Books, 2000). His web site is www.RGBooks.com