Civilization, published in 1870 in Society and Solitude, examines the forces that Emerson associates with social progress. He considers cooperation, division of labour, education, commerce, technology and political organisation as means by which people extend their abilities and reduce dependence on individual strength alone.

Emerson also argues that material advancement is not sufficient to define civilisation. Institutions and inventions may increase comfort and power, but genuine progress requires moral development, self-command and respect for wider social interests. He therefore treats civilisation as both a practical and ethical achievement.

The essay reflects Emerson’s broader interest in the relationship between individual character and society. It presents civilisation as a continuing process in which knowledge, cooperation and institutions can enlarge human capacity, while warning that technical or economic progress without corresponding moral improvement remains incomplete.