"Experience" is an essay by
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...
. It was published in the collection ''
Essays: Second Series'' in 1844. The essay is preceded by a poem of the same title.
In one passage, Emerson speaks out against the effort to over-intellectualize life – and particularly against experiments to create
utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...
s, or ideal communities. A wise and happy life, Emerson believes, requires a different attitude. The mention of "Education Farm" is a reference to
Brook Farm
Brook Farm, also called the Brook Farm Institute of Agriculture and EducationFelton, 124 or the Brook Farm Association for Industry and Education,Rose, 140 was a utopian experiment in communal living in the United States in the 1840s. It was ...
, a short-lived utopian community founded by former
Unitarian minister
George Ripley George Ripley may refer to:
*George Ripley (alchemist) (died 1490), English author and alchemist
*George Ripley (transcendentalist)
George Ripley (October 3, 1802 – July 4, 1880) was an American social reformer, Unitarian minister, and jour ...
and his wife
Sophia Ripley
Sophia Willard Dana Ripley (1803–1861), wife of George Ripley, was a 19th-century feminist associated with Transcendentalism and the Brook Farm community.
Biography
She was born Sophia Willard Dana in 1803. Her father traveled abroad often and ...
.
Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson
1844 essays
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