Nature is a short book by Ralph Waldo Emerson published anonymously in 1836. It is in this essay that the foundation of transcendentalism is put forth, a belief system that espouses a non-traditional appreciation of nature. Recent advances in zoology, botany, and geology confirmed Emerson's intuitions about the intricate relationships of Nature at large. A visit to the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris inspired a set of lectures delivered in Boston and subsequently the ideas leading to the publication of Nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early nineteenth century. ... Transcendentalism was a group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture, and philosophy that emerged in New England in the early-to mid-19th century. ... This article is about the physical universe. ... The Muséum national dHistoire naturelle (MNHN) is the French national museum of natural history. ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

Emerson defines nature as an all-encompassing divine entity inherently known to us in our unfettered innocence, rather than as merely a component of a world ruled by a divine, separate being learned by us through passed-on teachings in our experience.

Many scholars identify Emerson as one of the first writers (with others, notably Walt Whitman) to develop a literary style and vision that is uniquely American, rather than following in the footsteps of Longfellow and others who were strongly influenced by their British cultural heritage. "Nature" is the first significant work to establish this new way of looking at The Americas and its raw, natural environment. In England, all natural things are a reference to layers of historical events, a reflection of human beings. However, in America, all of nature was relatively new to Western Civilization with no man-made meaning. With this clean slate, as it were, Emerson was enabled to see nature through new eyes and rebuild nature's role in the world. In the book Emerson explains his stay in the Woods as a thriving transcendentalist. Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. ... Baron Longfellow , also named Andy Kim was an artist from the 60s. ... Cultural heritage (national heritage or just heritage) is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. ... World map showing the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere historically considered to consist of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For alternative meanings for The West in the United States, see the U.S. West and American West. ... For other uses, see Tabula rasa (disambiguation). ...

Henry David Thoreau had read Nature as a senior at Harvard and taken it to heart. It became an essential influence for Thoreau's later writings, including his seminal Walden. Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862; born David Henry Thoreau[1]) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, and philosopher who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Emerson followed the success of this essay with a famous speech entitled The American Scholar. These two works laid the foundation for both his new philosophy and his literary career. Ralph Waldo Emerson Wikisource has original text related to this article: The American Scholar For the publication of Phi Beta Kappa, see The American Scholar (magazine) The American Scholar was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1837 to the Phi Beta Kappa Society in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

Emerson's Idealism

Having met Thomas Carlyle in his travels, Emerson began to explore the philosophical standpoint of Idealism, in which the natural world is one and the same as the mental world. Whether "Orion is up there in heaven, or some god paints the image in the firmament of the soul" does not affect the truth of nature. The mind arises from the same divine source as the natural world so religious opposition to science would be fallacious. The most familiar view of Carlyle is as the bearded sage with a penetrating gaze Thomas Carlyle (December 4, 1795 – February 5, 1881) was a Scottish essayist, satirist, and historian, whose work was hugely influential during the Victorian era. ... This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedias quality standards. ... Look up Orion in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

External links

• Read "Nature"
• Text of "Nature" and other essays at Project Gutenberg
• Nature – Digitized copy of the first edition