Ralph Waldo Emerson: Good Influence or Bad Influence Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of America's most influential authors and thinkers. In the 19th century, his writings were considered dangerous and revolutionary. Emerson taught that each man must think for himself and he also believed in the concept of the oversoul. He wanted to find a way to express a modern relationship between man and God. In my opinion, Emerson is a good influence on the modern world and a reading of Emerson would be good for society. Emerson's teachings were somewhat controversial in the 19th century. He supported the pantheist view that since Christ is divi