Politics (essay) Politics (essay) "Politics" is an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is part of his "Essays: Second Series", published in 1844. A premier philosopher, poet and leader of American transcendentalism, he used this essay to belie his feelings on government, specifically American government. His impact on New England thought and his views on pragmatism influenced the likes of Henry David Thoreau, Orestes Brownson, and Frederich Nietzsche, among others. Although not viewed as his most important essay in the second series, Emerson’s views on politics championed democracy and individualism, two ideas that are viewed today as undoubtedly American. By 1844,
History of psychology of some Continental Rationalist philosophers, especially Baruch Spinoza's (1632–1677) "On the Improvement of the Understanding" (1662) and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's (1646–1716) "New Essays on Human Understanding" (completed 1705, published 1765). Also was an important contribution Friedrich August Rauch's (1806–1841) book "" (1840), the first English exposition of Hegelian philosophy for an American audience. The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard also influenced the humanistic, existential, and modern psychological schools with his works "The Concept of Anxiety" (1844) and "The Sickness Unto Death" (1849). Also influential on the emerging discipline of psychology were debates surrounding the efficacy of Mesmerism (a precursor to hypnosis)