I was intrigued by Emerson’s thoughts on philanthropy and the responsibility to do “good actions” throughout one’s life in Self Reliance. Emerson categorizes Man’s instinct to do “good actions” during one’s life as an “apology…of their living in the world.” He argues that he does not view his life as an “apology” and thus, he doesn’t think he should be indebted to society and forced to commit these “good actions” as a symbol of his virtues. He continues that he “cannot consent to pay for a privilege where [he has] intrinsic right” because Emerson viewed charitable actions as a fee to pay simply for the pleasure of living. I found these thoughts surprising for a couple of reasons.

First, at one point, Emerson committed his life as a pastor and thus someone deeply committed to spreading the word of God and to God’s teachings themselves. Historically, the bible has often encouraged Man to think of one’s life as a journey of paying off one’s sins and thus, the bible has always encouraged morally right living (i.e. giving to charities etc.). I wonder if when Emerson decided to leave that life, that this sentiment against charities is a rebellion against that old life and following God’s teachings at will. Secondly, we discussed in class that he married a wealthy woman and when she passed away, he received that wealth. I am curious why he acquired that wealth and then decided to preach against a moral responsibility to give back to his community. In this case, I wonder if his reasoning was, in some way, a justification for not donating the money that he received and using it for charity instead of himself.