Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Q. Explain Emerson’s statement that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds …”
A. The quote is directly from the tradition of the Transcendentalist idea, which Emerson was a follower of. This is in direct connection to the notion of not blindly following someone else’s ideas; this can be seen as very foolish and small-minded. The overall idea is to “trust yourself.” Not trusting thyself and blindly following someone is only good for the person being followed, and as the follower it leaves nothing to them. He refers to the two words of “small minds” which is a reference to people feeling like they need to be consistent all the time. A greater mind wouldn’t mind the contradiction, as long as the mind follows…show more content… Isolation can be connected to the idea of solitude, to better understand yourself better from a mental and spiritually standpoint. How can one really judge another, when one doesn’t even understand him or herself? Emerson is referencing the fact that too many people look towards others to find out who they are. This is why Emerson says that people go out to try to borrow a cup of water from someone else’s urn rather than looking to the “internal ocean.” Emerson is saying that “internal ocean” needs to be looked at and judge properly first. You have to know yourself in a true manner without having all the outside influences from other people. How can you be yourself, if you allow other to dictate that? Isolation can help teach us to look within our-self and that allows one to be more secure in your…show more content… This is an example of transcendentalist philosophy, taking into account the works of Emerson as well. She believed in the idea of that souls were of no sex. She was in the belief of the mind being a blank slate, rather, that experience contained a certain form which was imposed on sense data. The idea of dealing with conditions of any experience of the natural world. She took ideas from Emerson, like doctrines of self-reliance, individualism and optimism and helped apply that to women. Another idea is the cultivation of the individual, which included both sexes. By applying to the idea of the individual it spoke to the enlightenment of all mankind. Also by referencing and supporting woman as individuals in to having greater spiritual and intellectual freedom, that advances the