The American Scholar

Essay | Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is the Man Thinking according to Emerson?

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Present the Man Thinking according to Emerson Or What is the Man Thinking according to Emerson Or What is Emerson s conception of Man Thinking Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay The American Scholar gives the idea of Man Thinking It is a new and noble concept For Emerson Man Thinking and The American Scholar are the same He says that the true scholar must think freely not repeat others Only then he becomes a complete and independent mind Meaning of Man Thinking Emerson refers to the scholar as the delegated intellect of society He says In the right state he is Man Thinking This means a true scholar is an active and creative mind He observes studies and reasons for himself He is not merely a learner but a living thinker Against the Mere Thinker Emerson warns that in a degenerate society the scholar loses freedom He becomes the

parrot of other men s thinking Such a person only repeats not creates He reads too much and thinks too little The Mere Thinker depends on others words But the Man Thinking trusts his own soul Sources of His Wisdom Emerson says that Man Thinking learns from Nature Books and Action Nature teaches him unity and divine truth Books give him ideas of the past but he uses them wisely Action gives him real experience Freedom and Self-Trust For Emerson Man Thinking must have self-trust He says The office of the scholar is to cheer to raise and to guide men The scholar must guide others through truth and courage His duty is not to serve society s opinions but to enlighten it In short Emerson s Man Thinking is a symbol of the ideal scholar He is free brave and original He learns from life not just books

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Ralph Waldo Emerson
Literary Writer