The Art of Living a Meaningless Existence: Ideas from Philosophy That Change the Way You Think

by Robert Pantano

“Even on the highest throne in the world, we are still sitting on our ass,” wrote Montaigne.

Charles Cooley put it, “I am not who you think I am; I am not who I think I am; I am who I think you think I am,”

Emerson continued giving lectures and producing several major, influential works of literature. He would soon become recognized as one of the mid-nineteenth century’s leading writers and thinkers, inspiring individuals like Henry David Thoreau, Friedrich Nietzsche, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, as well as the philosophy of transcendentalism, of which Emerson is regarded as the father.

Emerson’s philosophy can perhaps be best explained in two of his most famous essays: Nature, published in 1836, and Self-Reliance, published in 1841.

Emerson primarily discusses man and nature being a unified, singular whole, the value of trusting one’s own intuition and sense of reality, and the realization and forthright ...

Emerson argued that all of nature is an expression and permeation of one metaphysical essence of the universe, or God, and that we are all both the expressio...

there is no separation between humanity and nature where humanity wills itself onto nature nor nature onto humanity, but rather, everything is essentially nature interacting with nature.

Emerson also asserted that nature is in a constant state of flux, and that we must live in synchronization with its process, trusting our own intuition and flowing with the changing self.

perhaps Emerson’s most popular concept, known as self-reliance.

Emerson argued that we often neglect to ever realize the unique perspective and greatness that comes from our particular culmination of experiences and states—not