Emerson Individuality Education And Research

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American famous literator and thinker in the 19th century, the leader of American Transcendentalism Movement. The middle and later periods of 19th century was a special period that the American culture divorced from Europe and turned to its own national independence. During this period, the Transcendentalism Movement was regarded as American Renaissance, and Emerson's representative work "The American Scholar" was known as " The Declaration of Independence" in American culture, Emerson had also become the representative man who established the spirit of American culture.In the beginning, this thesis analyses the research value of Emerson's thoughts on education, and discusses it from the angle educational history. It is lack of research data on Emerson's education thoughts currently, the thesis studies Emerson's thoughts on education from the perspective of individual education.Firstly, the time that Emerson lived in is called"the era of reform"in American history. The Industrial Revolution and Westward Movement leads economical rapid development and raises new social problems at that time. This is the realistic basis of Emerson's thoughts. And it is necessary to know about Emerson's life.Secondly, Emerson's education thoughts are largely based on his ideas of Transcendentalism and Individualism. Transcendentalism is the core of Emerson's heterogeneous thoughts, and Individualism is the mainline of Emerson's thinking. The Transcendentalism is also a kind of personal experience transcendence or self-transcendence in essence.Thirdly, according to the ideas of Emerson's Transcendentalism and Individualism to education, Emerson believes talents and potential of Individual, views education as opening up one's human nature, elicits one's inner spirituality. So we should respect every student, and follow the natural development of children with love and patience. Then Emerson advocates that everyone could study in his own way and educate themselves, for this understanding and trust. Emerson's ideas on learning are widespread, including instinct and life, teachers and peers, society and nature, books and soul, culture and religions. Emerson's Individual Education thoughts propose individual free development and show. That means to educate individuals to be a man with characteristics of self-esteem, confidence, self-reliance, self-development and self-worth. The most ideal teachers to carry out this Education idea are scholastic teachers which Emerson described in "The American Scholar".Emerson's Individual Education thoughts have some influence on the western history of education, and it is also instructive for modern education in our country, such as respecting human nature in education field and enhancing self-learning ability to adapt to lifelong education requirement, and provides experience for our education theory and practice.