Aug 31– “The American Scholar” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1837)

 In most countries Ralph Wally Emerson

Aug 31– “The American Scholar” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1837)

Summary: Has there ever been a commencement address that didn't suck?

Commentary: It's nice to know that, almost 200 years ago, they were still having hucksters give commencement addresses, and they were still eye rollingly bad. Emerson gives a typical transcendalist anti-society ramble, peppered with slightly better asides about being independent and well rounded. It's interesting to read this after Meditations, which give much of the same advice, but in a way that's both more succinct and actionable. Emerson blabs on for a half a page about how we need to listen to nature in order to find God, who is our true selves. Aurelius says decide who you want to be, and judge your actions based on whether they match that.