Maugre all the selfishness that chills like east winds to the world, the whole human family is bathed with an element of love like a fine ether" Ralph Waldo Emerson, known as the father of Transcendentalism, rejected the puritan picture of human depravity and instead argued that people were inherently good. In these essays, titled 'Friendship', 'Love', 'Prudence', 'Heroism', 'Character' and 'Manners', Emerson claims that human connection and an appreciation of the natural world can bring people a wealth of knowledge and happiness. Emerson continues to be one of the most celebrated American philosophers of the 19th century, and his insightful thoughts on human connection remain strikingly relevant to the world today.