"To believe your own thought,
to believe that what is true for you in your private heart,
is true for all men,--that is genius" (533).
This picture depicts Galileo Galilei facing to the trial for his belief in the Copernican theory at the Vatican in Rome in the seventeenth century. Even if persecuted, he continued the pursuit of scientific truth until he died at the age of 78. Ralph Waldo Emerson appreciates Galileo's discovery in his essay "Self-reliance." Galileo strongly believed his thought, and eventually, it was true for all people. Thus, according to Emerson's principle, Galileo is definitely genius.
In "Self-reliance," Emerson says that you should emphasize your emotion--that is to say, follow your nature. He believes that if we always trust our own thought, we can live in peace. The truth "self" found can't be arbitrary. Emerson calls the concept "self-reliance." I believe this is one of the basic ideas of Transcendentalism, which emphasizes the power of the individual. He argues that we should express ourselves directly without fears of inconsistency and misunderstanding. You don't need to neither put restrictions on your nature nor shape your view.
Emerson explains how children are so innocent and pure in his essay. Actually, I was a little surprised by this idea at first because it seemed to be very different from the Calvinist doctrine of original sin the Puritans in the American colonies accepted. In fact, Emerson's philosophical essays had a great impact on American culture and literature. I think that his "Self-reliance" reflected a profound shift in religious belief in the United States at the time.
Hiroe Oiri
I think this could also mean that we should all live by our instincts. God gave us instincts and there are several times when I couldn’t make a decision and relied on my instincts. I think we all have an internal wisdom called our “gut instincts” to assist us throughout our lives. It’s unfortunate that people don’t trust their own wisdom more often because I hear people asking others for advice all the time. I like the research that you did here, Hiroe, and the pictures certainly fit. I particularly like how you used Galileo as an example as Emerson did. Nice touch!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I picked a similar quote to yours. I liked how Emerson pushed his opinion of following your instinct. I like the way you used Glaileo as an example but he was just one of many. Emerson lists out a lot of other leaders that expressed their theories, which were absurd at the time, and were later proven right. I liked what he wrote on pg 538. “Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh” (pg 538).
ReplyDeleteYes, I like your post as well there are many good choices. I think he also meant that if we are able to think we have choice and what we feel in our mind and heart we should choose that instead of what someone else might choose. Think for yourself and be your own leader. I think our country would not be what it is today f we had not choose to do be independent. Being able to think for yourself and be independent give a person freedom.
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