Emersons Over-Soul :: Biography Biographies Essays

Emerson's Over-Soul A citizen of Concord, a denizen of philosophy, a certain Mr. Emerson has recently informed me of his observations of a peculiar phenomenon he dubs the Over-Soul. I wish to, rather than bicker over the particular, interpret the general meaning and nature of this universal specimen. Mr. Emerson thoughtfully maintains that we, as rational and sentient beings, do and shall, beyond dispute and by virtue of our existence, know a certainty when presented it. He further entertains that such carnal understanding of being can be derived from such works of Shakespeare, and of Plato, and of other white, predominately dead men. But what is this visceral comprehension, this indescribable wonder? And whence does it come? I shall maintain that it is meaning, and that it comes from intelligence. Herein I shall undertake to discover its origin, existence and implication. Meaning, of course, names neither time nor space an acquaintance. It lies entirely in the mind of the individual, yet is to be found in every perception. Meaning is the thing that masquerades as truth and relies on the soul. Only an individual mind can discern it, and the genuine man can find it under every stone, or in a true stroke of oil, or between two pages. Only meaning can we ever truly know. Every genuine person seeks it, and finds it. All potentially rational entities are capable of appreciating this meaning, and fencing with it. It captivates all true men, and it permeates the intelligent universe. I daresay that Meaning is the divine timber from which Mr. Emerson's Over-Soul is cut. The revelations, the insight, the common basis of conversation that he describes can derive from nothing other than meaning in the ultimate tracing. We see profoundly because we see meaning, and we experience the enduring meaning in the "mind that is grandly simple." Our common ground of humani ty is the appreciation of meaning. But what is the precise relationship of Meaning and the Over-Soul? No mere sentence can describe it, but I will attempt to characterize it. The Over-Soul is a continuous, ethereal entity that dances with intelligence; Meaning is a consistent abstraction that lurks in the mind. All laws derive from the Over-Soul, but the laws only exist because they have the perfection of Meaning. The Over-Soul visits, on occasion, her clients; but Meaning awaits her suitors. The Over-Soul is an active, while Meaning exists passive, waiting for life anew in each comprehending mind.