Keeping the “Perfect Sweetness … of Solitude”: Toward a Consistent Emersonian Political Theory

Abstract

Ralph Waldo Emerson sometimes proclaims radical individualism and a deep antagonism to associational living. Other times—especially in the context of abolitionism and reformism—he urges solidarity and membership in associations. We can understand Emerson as a consistent political theorist through his treatment of moral authority, which he suggests must be located beyond associational life. In Emerson’s writings, moral authority takes two forms: a positive embrace of a moral superstructure (variously called the “Over-Soul,” “God,” “Genius,” and more), and a negative or critical resistance against the corrupting features of associational life. This article sheds light on the extent to which these seemingly disparate features of Emerson’s political theory overlap and sometimes operate in tandem. By illuminating the external quality of moral authority, this article enables a fuller appreciation of Emerson’s democratic political theory.