Emerson uses his concept of Man Thinking to symbolize the ideal scholar who embodies both unity and individuality, or what Emerson refers to as a scholar in “the right state.” Man Thinking, according to Emerson, is what any scholar can—and should—strive to become by studying nature, reading books, and taking an active role in all kinds of work, both intellectual and physical. Man Thinking recognizes the interconnectedness of all things, and that anything they do should be for the betterment of society as a whole. Therefore, they work altruistically and “must relinquish display and immediate fame” and instead contend with “poverty and solitude.” In return, Man Thinking will find happiness and fulfillment in “exercising the highest functions of human nature.” At the same time, Man Thinking would embrace individuality and originality by thinking for themselves rather than limiting their opinions to those they read about in books. Man Thinking, then, is a symbolic representation of proper intellectual development to which the American Scholar can aspire. For the American Scholar to usher in the type of artistic revolution Emerson is advocating for, they must embody the ideal of Man Thinking.
Man Thinking Symbol Timeline in The American Scholar
