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Within the Western liberal tradition, the most frequent way of moderating excessive bearings of national law has been to beef up individualism. Liberal ideology has been said to originate from a celebration of laissez-faire government, stressing the right of the individual, including what he says and what he owns, to be free of outside, governmental interference. Emerson, in this view, is most often read as a laissez-faire individualist, and radical individualism is usually thought to be his distinctive contribution to American culture. According to his personal doctrine of rejecting the authority of society or custom and lauding the superior merits of self-reliance, truth and power depend on adhering to ones own instincts first, making sure those governed must be able to accept outside legislation. From this theory one can infer that Emerson does not reject submission to American governance as a limit of personal liberty, but instead allows for it as long as reliance on the self is not compromised. Liberal tensions are extremely apparent in contemporary American society, as established political institutions commit themselves to large state programs while keeping a hand private interests teakettle, making sure one does not boil over into the other.
However, Americans believe in the traditional democratic value of a rapport between the individual and the community, or, in this case, the individual and the government; despite problems that shake citizens trust in our legislative bodies, Americans still expect the government to provide for them while maintaining a great deal of slack on connective puppet strings. Essentially, Emerson believes the liberal balance of individualism and Western democracy will function properly only if both exist in equilibrium; American government must guarantee the right of the person is greater than the right of the state to insure voluntary submission to the state. However, Emerson does not repudiate democracy in favor of radical individualism (as is often suggested), and his viewpoints and opinions of the aforementioned theory are often crisscrossed and contradictory. Emerson's detailed descriptions of self-reliance contain several anomalies; he repeatedly states the necessity of personal emancipation and exploration of ones own uniqueness revolutionary statements normally associated with his mode of thought. However, he immediately pulls a 180 -degree turn and redefines individual freedom in terms of a give-and-take relationship with the governing body. For example, in Self-Reliance, his transcendentalist prototype, Emerson begins the third paragraph stating one must Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string, a direct illustration of his anti-conformist views.
Yet, he seems to vacillate on that view indicated in the following passage: Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seared at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny... obeying the almighty effort...
Examining these two seemingly countervailing statements in greater detail one can determine several levels of analysis and thought occurring within Emerson: Emerson, implicit in much of his work, rejects conventional wisdom in favor of internal knowledge and sense, imploring readers to Trust thyself. This is the traditional spirit we expect from the philosopher; his anarchist and radical views on individualism are clearly rooted in the belief that truth requires the severance of ties to encyclopedic knowledge and societal norms. However, Emerson's self-trust is defined in the larger passage by the boundaries of accepting ones place in the society of of [ones] contemporaries and in the connection of events, philosophical locales where notions of self-trust normally would not be welcome. Emerson seems to imply knowledge and awareness cannot exist in a vacuum; self-reliance, encompassing all aspects of individual autonomy, must exists within the preexisting confines of society, be it Western democracy or American government. Furthermore, Emerson determines his superior belief system arises from a transcendent destiny. As a transcendentalist, Emerson often refers to a natural / divine order that circumvents traditional worldly beliefs, such as the acceptance of social customs; yet, according to the passage, in order to move beyond conventional knowing and into harmonic being (the basis of transcendentalist thought), one must accept and obey superior laws established by society.
Transcendent laws, rules governing the self, are superseded by the external superiority of tangible laws (the Bill of Rights, for example, which in itself has transcendentalist qualities), and only by accepting those laws while maneuvering within them can men become great, according to Emerson. Thus, he appears to modify his own belief system, one that is usually thought of as staunchly anti-authoritarian, to incorporate both the need for superior governance while operating individualistically within those parameters. More clarification of Emerson's view toward democratic principles occur in another example in which he contemplates the concept of self-trust-versus-superior law in the microcosmic Friendship: I hate, where I looked for a manly furtherance, or at least a manly resistance, to find a mush of concession... That great defying eye, that scornful beauty of mein and action, do not pique yourself on reducing, but rather fortify and enhance.
Worship his superior ities; wish him not less by a thought, but hoard and tell them all. Guard him as thy counterpart. Similar to the discussion of self-reliance above, Emerson's stance on friendship morphs from adamant individualism (manly furtherance), to reciprocity within the relationship (fortification and enhancement), and finally to outright awe (worship his superior ities). Though Emerson affirms self-reliance he also acknowledges the necessity for interdependency within social relations, expanding his doctrine past the point of autonomous individualism.
Emerson seeks compromise; by validating the importance of social settings (whether he agrees with them is a completely different matter) he understands stringent transcendentalism cannot function in a void-less environment. In our contemporary America, we are constantly debating the merits of large, meddling governments and the sacred autonomous rights of the individual. With the exception of fringe elements, most liberal Americans those who believe in the inherent nature of democratic governance believe a bridge linking the two is vital to a stable society. The ability of America to multitask is unrivaled; no other state can boast the ability to function at high levels while its figurehead is being investigated for property fraud and adultery.
Emerson has a distinct grasp on this rationale, twisting it to fit his transcendental mold. Perhaps Emerson is at his greatest when his arms are uncrossed, his gaze soft, and he recognizes that self-reliance does not necessarily mean solitary reliance, but rather snugly jigsaws into a greater natural sphere.
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Research essay sample on Laissez Faire Belief System
