Emerson is an extremely important figure in the history of literature and ideas in the United States and the world, he is both a writer and a philosopher, and an advocate and representative figure of transcendentalism. His masterpiece "On Nature" embodies profound philosophical thought and is of great practical guiding significance.
Philosophy comes from life, and ultimately serves life, good philosophical thought can guide people away from ignorance, live a wonderful life, bring people wisdom, its value is far greater than material wealth. However, most philosophical theories are obscure and daunting, resulting in many people often returning empty-handed in the face of treasure. The emergence of the American writer and philosopher Emerson has helped people solve this problem very well, he has combined philosophy in literature, expressing profound philosophical ideas in vivid and vivid language, so that people can appreciate the beauty of literature at the same time, understand the true meaning of life, and obtain the happiness of life.
The philosophical idea advocated by Emerson is transcendentalism, and the core idea of transcendentalism is that man can get rid of the shackles of feeling and reason and establish a direct connection with truth. Transcendentalism looks at the natural world from a new perspective, emphasizes the power of the spirit and the importance of the individual, it greatly exerts people's subjective initiative, and brings positive and healthy vitality to people's lives. Emerson's masterpiece "On Nature" is a concentrated embodiment of this idea.
Emerson believed that everyone should develop their own unique understanding of the world and the universe. He stressed that man should not rely on second-hand information, that is, the wisdom of the past, and knowledge that has been inherited and has become the norm, and that man should become the master of his own thoughts. He said in On Nature: "Our time is nostalgic... The predecessors observed God face to face, but we looked through the eyes of the predecessors. Why don't we ourselves establish a direct connection to the universe? Why don't we praise wisdom in poetry and philosophy, but instead praise tradition? We should believe in self-revelation, not in the history of our predecessors. ”
The greatest freedom in life is not the freedom of action to go wherever you want, nor the freedom to buy what you want, the freedom to consume on the basis of rich materials, the true freedom, the freedom of the mind, the freedom that does not depend on anyone's thoughts. People living in modern society have long lost this freedom and are submerged in the ocean of modern information. In modern society, all kinds of ideas, all kinds of ideas, all kinds of So he could only be led by the tide of the times, and could not turn over and be his master. Emerson's transcendentalist ideas are like a beacon in the night, guiding the weary people in the right direction, if people can stop their hurried steps and establish a direct connection with the world with their hearts, then freedom and happiness are treasures that belong to people and cannot be taken away.
In On Nature, Emerson calls on the universe to be seen as an all-encompassing whole, composed of man and nature, matter and spirit. Therefore, the understanding of nature becomes the understanding of the universe as a whole. He believes that modern people look at the world with fragmented eyes, and people are confused and cannot find their place in this world, precisely because people are always self-centered, looking at problems from their own perspectives, and ignoring the attention to nature. If everyone can get close to nature correctly and reasonably, then everyone can transcend the limitations of vision and gain true wisdom. "Every creature is a modification of other creatures, they have far more in common than they do, and the law of their survival is actually the same law," he said. Therefore, the truth is universal. "It is so close to us that it is easy for us to spot, and it is just under the cloak of nature..."
The idea that nature and man are one, or that man and nature are one, must be familiar to everyone, but how many people can really do this, at least with this kind of thinking to guide their own lives? In fact, the flowers and plants in nature, all kinds of animals, are silently showing us the way truth works, they are our teachers, always enlightening us, but we never bow our heads and learn from them. An ordinary grass, in order to get more sunlight and nutrients, will continue to take root and grow upwards, and how many of us can be so aggressive and self-reliant? Therefore, nature is our best teacher, it always follows us, ready to serve us at any time, as long as we can break through the limitations of the individual, look at nature, look at the world, our wisdom will increase day by day, with wisdom, we will have happiness.
Throughout "On Nature", it is emphasized that the importance of spirit is greater than matter, and the purpose of nature is to represent the universe to improve and promote human wisdom and happiness. Nature, he wrote, is "the channel through which the cosmic spirit has a dialogue with mankind, and has been striving to bring mankind back into the perfect cosmic spirit." Emerson carefully explores the relationship between matter and spirit, and discusses the consistency of material and moral laws, and his description gives people a new understanding of spirit.
In today's materialistic society, the meaning of material things has been wrongly magnified by people, and many people have lost the ability and courage to explore the spiritual world. Just as matter does not guarantee human freedom, it cannot guarantee happiness. True happiness lies in spiritual tranquility, and idealism aside, Emerson was right in this regard, telling us the way to attain happiness through the spiritual world, to make people understand that material things should not always come first.
In On Nature, Emerson called on people to trust their instincts and open their hearts to the spiritual world, writing: "Guessing is more valuable than irrefutable affirmations... One dream is better than a hundred precise experiments to lead people deep into the mysteries of nature. "Emerson and his transcendentalism enable people to look at the relationship between man and nature, matter and spirit, intuition and reason in a new perspective that has never been seen before, so that people can achieve happiness without pretense, and it is time for people living in modern society to stop and explore the world of the mind."