Emerson's view of the world minimized the divisions between the different aspects of nature, and so for him the distinction between humans and vegetables is less pronounced than most assume it to be. In his essay Nature, Emerson touches on this idea that when he mentions the “suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable.” In "Self-Reliance," he notes how "the vital resources of every animal and vegetable, are demonstrations of the self-sufficing, and therefore self-relying soul." It can be difficult for readers to make sense of this claim of unity. However, Emerson's thought is part of a long and respectable philosophical tradition that emphasizes the deep spiritual connection between humanity and the world around us, the natural world.

In Emerson's day, a gap had opened up between humans and their environment. The prevailing view, especially in developed countries such as the United States, was that nature was an object of exploitation, something to be observed, measured, studied, and used for the benefit of humankind.

Emerson emphatically rejected such a picture. He believed that every single aspect of creation, from the highest to the lowest, was linked together in a giant cosmic oneness. Far from being separated from nature, thought Emerson, man was an intrinsic part of it and was spiritually connected to every other created being. That included even the humble vegetable, with whom we share a kinship. Part of that kinship is the fact that plants, just as humans, can demonstrate the principle of self-reliance.