The idealistic, prophetic voices of essayist Ralph Emerson and poet Walt Whitman helped to push the growing materialistic culture of 19th century America toward the higher principles of reverence for nature, spirituality, and individual responsibility. Considered radical by many of their peers, and viewed even today as intellectual revolutionaries, these writers continue to urge us to rethink our assumptions in favor of more holistic, democratic relationships with each other and even with the environment. It is no exaggeration to call them founding figures of American philosophy and poetry. Although different in personality and style, they partner in their unswerving commitment to a profound faith in what they considered universal truths.

Our class will read these writers as spiritual soul-mates, exploring how philosophy (Emerson) and poetry (Whitman) comingle. Even though only sixteen years separate them, Emerson and Whitman form a father-son relationship; the child emulates as well as disturbs the parent, fostering growth and intellectual intimacy. We’ll tackle many of their romantic themes: perception, mind/body dualism, freedom, and the like. However, we’ll also investigate the "Transcendentalist" movement, a type of thinking that has roots both in American Puritanism and the Enlightenment. In addition, we’ll take time to reflect on each writer’s views on aging—an area of interest to many of us.

Our texts hold an embarrassment of riches, much more than we can intelligently consider in four weeks. In reading selectively, a sampling of these two influential voices of American history will generate an appetite for deeper banquets of ideas.