Define the term "Transcendentalism" and give its main representatives.
American Transcendentalism is a philosophical and literary movement which took place during the late 1820s and 1830s. It originated among a small group of intellectuals who were reacting against the orthodoxy of Calvinism and the rationalism of the Unitarian Church, developing instead their own faith centering on the divinity of man and nature. Transcendentalism derived some of its idealistic concepts from romantic German philosophy notably that of Immanuel Kant, and from such English authors as Carlyle, Coleridge and Wordsworth. The mentioned group if american intellectuals was called Transcendental Club founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson in Boston in 1836. Apart from the founder of the club the most important representatives there were: Henry David Thoreau, Amos Branson Alcott, Margaret Fuller and Elizabeth Peabody. Transcendentalists thought that the intuitive faculty, instead of rational or sensical, became the means for a conscious union of the individual psyche (known in Sanskrit as Atman) with the world psyche also known as the Oversoul, like force, prime mover and God (known in Sanskrit as Brahma). Other basic premises were:.
- an individual is the spiritual center of the universe, and in an individual can be found the clue to nature, history and ultimately, the cosmos itself. It is not a rejection of the existance of God, but a preference to explain an individual and the world in terms of an individual;.
- the structure of the universe literally duplicates the structure of the individual self-all knowledge, therefore, begins with self-knowledge. This is similar to Aristotle's dictum "know thyself";.
- transcendentalists accepted the neo-Platonic conception of nature as a living mystery, full of signs - nature is symbolic;.
- the belief that individual virtue and happiness depend upon self-realization -.
The concept of transcendentalism revolves around self-reliance and individuality. Transcendentalism is a philosophy based on the five primary ideas that construct it. ... The birth of transcendentalism was in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. ... Collectively, the two authors shared the same opinions and ideas towards transcendentalism. Self-reliance is a topic that is an immense part of transcendentalism. ...
The early 1800s also saw the rise of Romanticism, a movement that originated in Europe, and shortly after, transcendentalism. ... While they shared some similarities, Romanticism and Transcendentalism had many more differences. ... Transcendentalism, by contrast, emphasized intuition and rational thought above emotion. ... Transcendentalism also belittled the idea of predestination, that all people are sinners and are incapable of escaping their fates. ... " (Baym, 222) The philosophical movements of Romanticism and Transcendentalism had a lasting impact on American culture. ...
Transcendentalism, as expressed by Emerson, is finding your own way to connect with yourself, who you are, and your peace with yourself. ... The only way to truly find your transcendentalism is to create your own path to get there. ... Simplicity is one of the most basic ideals of transcendentalism. ... The path to transcendentalism is meant to be different for every being that travels it. ... Societal conformity is the ultimate antagonist of transcendentalism. ...
Transcendentalism Transcendentalism is a literary movement that believes reality only exists in the world of the spirt, and that all knowlige comes from self knowlige. ... He is considered the "father of Transcendentalism." ... Which makes is different form the European transcendentalism movement be for it. The Transcendentalism movement died out in the 1860's, but it has had lasting effects until today. ... And this is also what makes if different from other forms of Transcendentalism. ...
Transcendentalism Essay " Transcendentalism is the belief that man can intuitively transcend the limits of the sense's and logic to receive higher truths and greater knowledge." Transcendentalism was a philosophy that was popular during the 1820's in New England. There are many elements that make up the ideas of transcendentalism. When transcendentalism is mentioned, two men in general are thought of. ... Some of the elements of transcendentalism include how man should live close to nature. ...
Transcendentalism Transcendentalism views include the notion that all humanity is good, the glories of nature, and the importance of individual expression without interference. ... An example of this view of Transcendentalism is when Emerson says in his short story Self-Reliance that "he who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness." ...
Arguably, the two men at the forefront of transcendentalism were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism is defined as "any system of philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical and material." Transcendentalism can somewhat be understood by its context - what the transcendentalists remonstrated against, what they viewed as the relation to their time, therefore, were trying to be non-conformists of their time. Transcendentalism is, in a way, a philosophy of its own. ...
In the 1830s and 1840s, a style of writing emerged known as transcendentalism. ... Thoreau had a profound effect on transcendentalism because he not only talked about it, but he also made the decision to do something and put these thoughts into action. ... The reason that he thought that this was so bad was because transcendentalism relies on looking at the whole, not the parts. ...
Transcendentalism- is a literary and philosophical movement, asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable through intuition. ... To me, transcendentalism is a philosophy of life. ...
