EWU Digital Commons

Individualism and Nonconformity in Ralph Waldo Emerson's ‘Self-Reliance'

My presentation utilizes the etymology of the word genius to explore Emerson’s “Self-Reliance.” Emerson would empower the individual in a conformist society to find harmony through nonconformity. The etymology of genius as a spiritual guide reinforces his stance on individualism, namely by qualifying the spirit, or the individual’s discretion, as all-powerful and constant. The word is rooted in the belief that a “spirit attendant” overlooks and guides the host body of each individual. Genius has also been defined as the “personification of a person’s natural appetites.” In terms of Emerson’s genius, man’s inherent appetite to belong to a collective reinforces the necessity of self-reliance. In an article from the Berkeley-based Greater Good Magazine, Zaid Jilani explains that "The power of conformity . . . has deep implications for polarization.”