Final answer:
The excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance" illustrates the belief that society and government corrupt the individual.
Step-by-step explanation:
The transcendental belief that the excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance" best illustrates is that society and government corrupt the individual. Emerson suggests in the excerpt that the voices of truth and individuality become faint and inaudible as individuals conform to societal norms and expectations. He argues that society is conspiring against individuals' true nature and suppressing their individuality.
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