The Over-Soul

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"The Over-Soul" is an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson first published in 1841. With the human soul as its overriding subject, several general themes are treated: (1) the existence and nature of the human soul; (2) the relationship between the soul and the personal ego; (3) the relationship of one human soul to another; and (4) the relationship of the human soul to God. The influence of Eastern religions, including Vedanta, is plainly evident, but the essay also develops ideas long present in the Western philosophical canon (e.g., in the works of Plato, Plutarch, Plotinus, Proclus—all of whose writings Emerson read extensively throughout his career) and the theology of Emanuel Swedenborg. With respect to the four themes listed above, the essay presents the following views: (1) the human soul is immortal, immensely vast, and beautiful; (2) the conscious ego is slight and limited in comparison to the soul despite the fact that humans habitually mistake their ego for their true self; (3) at some...

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