Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American writer who lived during the 1800's. He led a movement called Transcendentalism, a philosophy he wrote about in his published essay titled "Nature". He wrote that the foundation of his philosophy is based on a deep appreciation of nature and he believed that we can only truly understand reality by studying our environment and spending time outside. Emerson thought that spending time alone in nature was the best way to come to truly understand and appreciate the beauty that the Earth brings.