Colliding Circles: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Concept of the Soul Between Spiritual Self-Realization and Materialistic Expansion

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) is one of the most consequential voices in U.S. intellectual history. His influential individualistic philosophy is based on his concept of the soul, which he conceives of in religious terms as a divine spiritual essence but at the same time as a decidedly practical force that calls for real-world application. While this translates into a deeply idealist vision of ongoing personal growth, it also feeds into the hypercapitalist paradigm of unrestrained materialistic expansion. The present chapter investigates the relevance of Emerson’s understanding of the soul to contemporary U.S. political culture, specifically exploring its inherent tensions between spirituality and materialism, personal freedom and public interest—and interrogating the premise of abundance in a socioeconomic reality characterized by dwindling resources and ecological crises.