Emerson’s Affinities

This volume presents Ralph Waldo Emerson’s engagement with diverse philosophical traditions with the concurrent aim of showing the contemporary relevance of his Transcendentalism.

As scholarship increasingly centers on Emerson’s place within American philosophy, this collection offers fresh insights into the expansive reach of his thought across Western and Eastern traditions, spanning the nineteenth century to the present. Featuring comparative analyses and innovative applications of Transcendentalism, it connects Emerson’s ideas to global philosophies, religions, and cultures. Thematically organized into three parts, the volume first situates Emerson within Romanticism and Platonism. Part 2 examines his metaphysics and his intersections with both Eastern and Western religious thought. Finally, Part 3 applies his philosophy to education, aesthetics, environmental ethics, and politics. The cosmopolitan essays in this collection situate Emerson not only within Western thought but also in dialogue with Greek, Buddhist, Islamic, and Vedāntic philosophies. Geared primarily toward scholars and advanced students, though accessible to well-informed casual readers, the contributions are meticulously researched and calibrated for specialists in American philosophy, literature, religious studies, and Emerson’s oeuvre.

Emerson’s Affinities is essential reading for scholars and graduate students in American Transcendentalism, literature, philosophy, and religious studies.