Topic: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Philosophize This podcast
Way to gain access to truth is to turn inwards
Deepest connection is through our own human experience
Emerson published Self Reliance in 1841 – between Revolutionary War and Civil War
America was a baby country then
Call to action to American citizens
Was enemy of dogma, “imitation is suicide”
You sacrifice your life and your unique contribution when you just copy or imitate others
Educate broadly, but trust thyself
Offers alternative morality around the thinking individual
Why do external sources of wisdom are not sources of enlightenment?
3 TRAPS where we lose self reliance
ONE – trap of Conformity – conform to demands of society
Become a “virtuous person” which is defined by society
Society’s primary goal is to get you to stop thinking for yourself, that’s what “maturity” means
Eventually your conformity becomes cowardice
People around you don’t get to see the real you, you don’t offer your unique talents and views to the world
Think of the time you waste sharing or agreeing with views that aren’t yours
True non-conformity must come from turning inwards
TWO – trap of Consistency – society expects us to stay consistent
Society has expectations around our consistency of beliefs (eg, dislike politicians who change their views)
If something is true, it should be just as true tomorrow as today
But individuals are volatile and change all the time
“Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”
Inconsistency / changing views is often sign that person thinks for themselves, a sign that they may be more connected to truth
Like a boat changing course in the wind – moving closer to its destination, but to observers, may seem haphazard and wasteful
“Dare to be inconsistent” – no great thinker in the world was considered great for adhering to status quo – they seemed constantly misunderstood, like Jesus, Socrates, Newton – to be great is to be misunderstood
However, it’s easy to be non-conformist while sitting in basement and talking to no one
Our own individual intuition is where we should all start – power of intuitive knowledge
Emerson was a Deist, didn’t believe in a God who involves itself in human affairs
Transcendentalism – every part of universe is connected to every other part
“Oversoul” (similar to concept of God)
People who pay attention, observe closely, will get closer to the truth, connect closer to the Universe, to the Oversoul
Thought of himself as a poet, not a philosopher
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Finis! Published here because it’s a departure from my usual crypto / NFT notes which are shared on twitter