Ref: Religiosity 

For the one to be interested in Emerson, would surely know his date of birth. Emerson was amongst his own contemporaries such as: Woods worth, Goethe, or in poetry, say, Baryon, shelly, Keats, all between a period of around hundred and fifty years whose works remain active today. 

Enlightenment is discernment as noted in my commentary, and also a reference to the same era when a philosophical movement started in Europe dwelling on nature through an aesthetic expression. Islam has its own share through likes of Rumi.  

As against Socrates and Plato, who dwelled on investigation, more recent philosophy of Krishan Murti, Schopenhauer, or Kant is more concerned with current life. Emerson as an intellectual was inspired by Plato, as myself, with some interest. So much unanswered, Plato is returning.  His disciples asked Plato of God.

 “It is to learn and impossible to divulge,” he answered.   

This is voluntary addition to the previous post. My comments on Self Reliance are open to any thought process - comment on the content would have been preferable.