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陈之童英142班149134038Emerson’sViewofNatureNatureisthefirstcollectionofessayswrittenbyRalphWaldoEmerson,whereheputforththefoundationoftranscendentalism,abeliefsystemthatespousesanon-traditionalappreciationofnature.TherearethreemajorconceptsinTranscendentalists’viewofnature:Firstly,theTranscendentalistsplaceemphasisonspirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheuniverse.OversoulwasputforwardinEmerson’sessayNature,whenhedescribedthemysteriousunityofnature.Itexistinnatureandmanalikeandconstitutethechiefelementoftheuniverse.Obviously,itrepresentanewwayoflookingattheworld.Secondly,theTranscendentalistsstresstheimportanceoftheindividual.TheTranscendentalistsweretellingpeopletodependuponthemselvesforspiritualperfection.Itisanewwayoflookingatthemaninnature.Thirdly,theTranscendentalistsofferafreshperfectionofnatureassymbolicofSpiritorGod.Emersonbelievesthatnatureisalive,filledwithGod’soverwhelmingpresenceanditisthegarmentoftheOversoul.Therefore,thephysicalworldisasymbolofthespirituality,NatureisthedivinerevelationofGodforpeople.Emersonsuggestsarevolutionarynewandromanticviewofnatureapartfromitscash-valuetocatchitsspirituality.ForEmerson,hisviewofnaturehasdoublemeanings,thatis,itscommonsenseanditsphilosophicalsense.“Nature,inthecommonsense,referstoessencesunchangedbyman;space,theair,theriver,theleaf.”Atfirst,Emersonemphasizesthebeautyofnature,justashewrote,“Notlessexcellent,exceptforourlesssusceptibilityintheafternoon,wasthecharm,lastevening,ofaJanuarysunset.Thewesterncloudsdividedandsubdividedthemselvesintopinkflakesmodulatedwithtintsofunspeakablesoftness;andtheairhadsomuchlifeandsweetness,thatitwasapaintocomewithindoors.”Inadditiontojustpraisingtheexternalbeautyofnature,heencouragespeopletofindgoodnessandbeautyfromnatureasnature’sinnerbeautycanaffectpeople’sspirituallife.Intheeyesofbourgeoiscolonists,nature,suchasAmericanprimevalbigforest,isconfusedwiththedevelopmentofresources,moneyandtrade.Natureisjusttheobjectsandresourceswhichhavecertaineconomicvalue.However,Emersonadvocatescapturingthespiritualityofnaturefromtheperspectiveofbeauty,ratherthanonlyemphasizingthepracticalvalueofnature.Hewrote“Millerownsthisfield,Lockethat,andManningthewoodlandbeyond.Butnoneofthemownsthelandscape.”Sowithintheessay,Emersondividesnatureintofourusages:Commodity,Beauty,LanguageandDiscipline.Thesedistinctionsdefinethewaysbywhichhumansusenaturefortheirbasicneeds,theirdesirefordelight,theircommunicationwithoneanotherandtheirunderstandingoftheworld.Ineachsection,hetakesadifferentperspectiveontherelationshipbetweenhumansandnature.Fromthephilosophicalpointofview,thecoreissueofEmerson’sviewofnatureisthe“wholeness”withnatureorthe“manandnatureinone”.Emersonbelievesthathumanandnaturearecloselyrelated.Ofcourse,naturecanprovidepeoplewithmaterialcomforts;thatiscommodity,butitisthelowestformoffunctionofnature.Itshighermeaningshowsupinthespirit.Emersondefinesaspiritualrelationship.Innature,apersonfindsitsspiritandacceptsitastheUniversalBeing.Hewrote,“theancientprecept，‘Knowtheyself，’andthemodernprecept，‘Studynature，’becomeatlastonemaxim.”Actually,naturereflectstheexistenceofthespirit,conveyingtheknowledgeaboutGod.InEmerson’sopinion,theessenceofGodcan’tbedocumentedinthedoctrines.Onthecontrary,everymancancommunewithGoddirectlyifhewills.Inhisfamoustext,Emersondescribeshowpeople’sspiritsublimesandtheexperienceof“manandnatureinone”innature.“ThereIfeelthatnothingcanbefallmeinlife,nodisgrace,nocalamity,(leavingmemyeyes,)whichnaturecannotrepair.Standingonthebareground,myheadbathedbytheblitheair,andupliftedintoinfinitespace,allmeanegotismvanishes.Ibecomeatransparenteye-ball;Iamnothing;Iseeall;thecurrentsoftheUniversalBeingcirculatethroughme;IampartorparticleofGod.”Nowthisisamomentof“conversion”whenonefeelscompletelymergedwiththeoutsideworld,whenthesoulhasgonebeyondthephysicallimitsofthebodytosharetheomniscienceoftheOversoul.Inhisopinion,“Manisconsciousofauniversalsoulwithinorbehindhisindividuallife.”ManismadeintheimageofGodandisjustalittlelessthanHim.ThisisasmuchastosaythatthespiritualandimmanentGodisoperativeinthesoulofman,andthemanisdivine.Also,inEmerson’sNature,it’snotdifficulttoseethatEmerson’sviewofnaturecorrespondstooriental“manandnatureinone”.Manandnatureinone”focusesontheharmonybetweenpeopleandthenature,ignoringthesubjectiveinitiative.Inconclusion,naturehascommonandphilosophicalmeaninginEmerson’seyes.Helovesnature,regardingitasthepurest,andthemostsanctifyingmoralinfluenceonman,andadvocatesadirectintuitionofaspiritualandimmanentGodinnature.Natureisthesymbolofspirit.Thereisaperfectparallelbetweenthelawsofnatureandthelawsofthought.Hebelievesthatbylivinginharmonywithnature,onecanfindtherealhappinessandtranquilityofthespirit.