Politics is an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...

. It is part of his Essays: Second Series, published in 1844. A premier philosopher, poet and leader of American transcendentalism

Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...

, he used this essay to belie his feelings on government, specifically American government. His impact on New England thought and his views on pragmatism influenced the likes of Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...

, Orestes Brownson

Orestes Brownson

Orestes Augustus Brownson was a New England intellectual and activist, preacher, labor organizer, and noted Catholic convert and writer...

, and Frederich Nietzsche, among others.

Summary

Although not viewed as his most important essay in the second series, Emerson’s views on politics championed democracy and individualism, two ideas that are viewed today as undoubtedly American. By 1844, Emerson, then 41, had moved into a pragmatic balance of skepticism and idealism, happily providing him with “a way to dream as well as a way to live”. A quintessential American voice, Emerson believed that civilization was only beginning and could reach unfathomable places through moral force and creative intelligence. This alone is not a reason to blindly follow the footsteps before us. Remember, he says, “The law is just a memorandum.” This gives rise to the most popular quote in this essay: “The less government we have the better.”

Emerson believed that an ideal government, aside from a nonexistent one dissolved when improvements in human character through love and wisdom could abolish the state, was one that advocated for the growth of the individual, and be able to protect one’s individual rights. The individual would only be ready for democracy when they had become completely independent and self-reliant. Then the abolishment of government could be achieved. The intelligence needed from each individual would triumph over business interests and politics, because the mind is the richest asset you can have.

Emerson also questioned property rights in Politics, noting that they are built not on democracy, but instead on owning. Believing that “property will always follow persons," Emerson believed personal rights were much more important than property rights.

The State

Emerson’s overwhelming faith in the individual is completely opposite to his views on nations: “Every actual state is corrupt.” Political parties are “made out of necessity” of the time period and not out of any underlying theory. Emerson is very critical of both major parties in his essay. “From neither party, when in power, has the world any benefit to expect in science, art or humanity, at all commensurate with the resources of the nation.” Neither party is satisfactory for Emerson, and his essay he hints at the natural inequality this system adheres to, and its effects. “All forms of government symbolize an immortal government, common to all dynasties and independent of numbers," and are inherently based on exploitation: "all forms of government would be perfect were there two people, imperfect if there was one." Party politics are not the only organization Emerson has his eye on in his essay, however. Emerson also distrusts the pulpit and the press because they are conventional roles that require organizational persuasion.

External links

• Ralph Waldo Emerson's Politics Speech