Books are the learning from the past to prevent mistakes. On the other hand, books can prevent you from thinking individually and exploring new thought. According to “The American Scholar”, Emerson thinks that “books are the best type of the influence of the past, and perhaps we shall get at the truth, — learn the amount of this influence more conveniently, — by considering their value alone” (Emerson 10). Emerson means that books are great instrument to study to past; however, when artists create literature, they inevitably put in their opinion or personal thought biased by the social standard of the time. That is, if ten writers write about a same subject, there will be ten different version of the same topic. Emerson later emphasizes that “neither can any artist entirely exclude the conventional, the local, the perishable from his book, or write a book of pure thought” (Emerson 12). He points out that no writer can completely be objective to the topic when he is writing because it is too difficult to set aside his opinion or judgement entirely. However, when you read too much of what other people think in the past, you restrict yourself from thinking outside of the box because there is a standard or an assumption of what is wrong or right based on the learning of the past. However, if reading is done correctly; that is, to consume only its value, can be beneficial and indispensable. For example, in the text, Emerson states that “history and exact science he must learn by laborious reading” (Emerson 20). He points out that certain kind of certain kind of knowledge must be attain from reading. Emerson also claims that school is essential only if it give us opportunities to create our own thought, and not to foster memorization of the plain text. An independent mind can read critically to pick up the learning message without unconscious biases, thus to create individual understandings.

Emerson’s idea of how people shouldn’t overly rely on what people have to say in the books (books as the reflection of the society at the time) is a reflection of Descartes’s philosophy. Descartes believes books and school creates “doubts and errors” because he realizes books and school cannot take him any further in his education career. Emerson, like Descartes, also thinks that education is not a blind belief of tradition, texts, and authorities. Emerson claims that “[Colleges] can only highly serve us, when they aim not to drill, but to create” (Emerson 20). In Emerson’s point of view, school is a place to create new thinking. On the same hand, Emerson’s philosophy remarks Rousseau’s idea in a similar way. Rousseau believes books are less of a factor when raising his pupil. He points out in his book that “they [books] only teach us to talk about thing we know nothing about”(Rousseau, 20). Rousseau believes nature is more essential to the development of man than the education on paper. In addition, both Emerson and Locke believe that school and books can be a tool for education but they aren’t the only way. Education is based on experience from reflection and sensation. People learn from their experience, what they see and what they do. Likewise, Emerson has similar thought that  “thinking is the function. Living is the functionary”(Emerson 28). For him, thinking is education, education is life.