“Self reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a philosophical essay that goes in depth about the

uniqueness of every individual and their ideas. “The Lowest Animal” by Mark Twain is also a

philosophical essay about how animals are of higher morale standing than humans, making

humans the “Lowest Animal”. If Emerson were to read “The Lowest Animal” he most likely

wouldn’t support most of Twain’s ideas. Twain believes that Man is selfish and needs to improve

on their morale standing, Man is the only animal that enslaves its own (which is morally wrong),

and hates how humans are cruel/evil by nature. However, Emerson believes Man needs to be

selfish to get by in life, he doesn’t care for slavery, family, or community, and believes it’s better

to be evil-natured and do what you think is right than what society thinks is.

Man’s selfishness has pros and cons to it, it may be best for the person committing the

selfish acts, but not good for others or from good at all in a moral sense. In “Self Reliance”

Emerson states his case on selfishness , stating; “Then, again, do not tell me, as a good man did

today, of my obligation to put all poor men in good situations. Are they my poor?” Emerson’s

feels as if he has no obligation to help anyone besides himself. While Twain states “men who

have accumulated more millions of money than they can ever use have shown a rabid hunger for

more, and have not scrupled to cheat the ignorant and the helpless out of their poor servings in

order to partially appease that appetite.” This piece of information shows Twain’s disdain for the

greedy and selfish unlike Emerson, who promotes the act.

Slavery is a controversial topic that has occurred quite a lot throughout human history.

Emerson views on the subject are very nonchalant and loose when it comes to speaking of it

from a moral sense, stating: ” Go love thy infant; love thy wood-chopper: be good-natured and

modest: have that grace; and never varnish your hard, uncharitable ambition with this incredible
tenderness for black folk a thousand miles off.” Emerson sees slavery as more of a waste than a

helping hand in life. While in “The Lowest Animal” Twain states “He(Man) has always been a

slave in one form or another, and has always held other slaves in bondage under him in one way

or another. In our day he is always some man's slave for wages, and does that man's work; and

this slave has other slaves under him for minor wages, and they do his work. The higher animals

are the only ones who exclusively do their own work and provide their own living.” Twain

believes slavery to be morally wrong, comparing Man to animals whom have never once

enslaved each other.

There have more than a few(thousand) examples of Man’s cruelty and sadism in history,

however Emerson believes this nature is necessary for you to be a individual, stating “No law

can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily

transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is

against it.” Emerson feels as if the nature of a person is “good” to them and may not be to the

whole of society. Twain states: “Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the

only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it. It is a trait that is not known to the higher

animals.” Twain feels that Mans cruelty towards other like him and unlike him is unjustified and

clearly not shared with members of the animal kingdom.

In conclusion, Emerson’s world views are to benefit and boost, as the title suggests: “Self

Reliance”. He finds the definitions of “good” and ”bad” subjective to the nature of the person

who uses them. While Twain looks at most things from a moral sense, which gives man the title

of The Lowest Animal”. If Emerson read”The Lowest Animal” he’d wholeheartedly disagree
with Twain’s argument, being a person that endorses the self-centeredness of Man for the benefit

of the individual.