Emersons Over-Soul :: Biography Biographies Essays

Emersons Over-Soul A citizen of Concord, a denizen of philosophy, a certain Mr. Emerson has of late informed me of his observations of a peculiar phenomenon he dubs the Over-Soul. I wish to, quite an than bicker over the particular, interpret the general meaning and nature of this ecumenical specimen. Mr. Emerson thoughtfully maintains that we, as noetic and sentient beings, do and shall, beyond strife and by virtue of our existence, know a certainty when presented it. He progress entertains that such(prenominal) carnal understanding of being mint be derived from such works of Shakespeare, and of Plato, and of other white, predominately dead men. solely what is this visceral comprehension, this indescribable call into question? And whence does it come? I shall maintain that it is meaning, and that it comes from intelligence. Herein I shall take in charge to discover its origin, existence and implication. Meaning, of course, names neither time nor space an acquaintance. It li es merely in the mind of the private, yet is to be found in all(prenominal) perception. Meaning is the thing that masquerades as truth and relies on the soul. Only an individual mind can discern it, and the genuine man can examine it under perpetuallyy stone, or in a true buffet of oil, or between two pages. Only meaning can we ever truly know. Every genuine person seeks it, and finds it. All potentially rational entities are capable of appreciating this meaning, and fencing with it. It captivates all true men, and it permeates the intelligent universe. I daresay that Meaning is the divine timber from which Mr. Emersons Over-Soul is cut. The revelations, the insight, the common basis of conversation that he describes can derive from nothing other than meaning in the last tracing. We see profoundly because we see meaning, and we experience the enduring meaning in the mind that is grandly simple. Our common ground of humanity is the appreciation of meaning. But what is the prec ise relationship of Meaning and the Over-Soul? No mere sentence can describe it, but I will attempt to characterize it. The Over-Soul is a continuous, ethereal entity that dances with intelligence Meaning is a consistent abstraction that lurks in the mind. All laws derive from the Over-Soul, but the laws only exist because they have the apotheosis of Meaning. The Over-Soul visits, on occasion, her clients but Meaning awaits her suitors. The Over-Soul is an active, while Meaning exists passive, waiting for flavour anew in each comprehending mind.