Nature

In Nature (1849) , Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that his age is "retrospective" , viewing God and nature only "through their eyes" (the eyes of past generations). He calls for an "original relation to the universe". Defining the universe as composed of "Nature and the Soul", Emerson explores Nature's uses, which progress from the physical to the spiritual. The first use is "Commodity" , the base, practical use of nature for material support, which is the "only use... all men apprehend". A "nobler want" is served by "Beauty" , which Emerson defines as the "mark God sets upon virtue".