What to Get from West on Emerson on Philosophy?
Remember, "Why West"?
Remember, "Why Evasion is Good"
Things West critiques in Emerson:
- Racial Views
- Individualism
- Mysticism, Inactivity
- Justifications for "American" imperialism: conquest of wilderness, expansion, aggression
Things West finds admirable in Emerson:
- Creativity: The quest for personal self-mastery and self-challenge
- Provocation: Refusal to buy into traditions
- "Organic Intellectual": Linking philosophy to culture more generally