Transcendentalism Continuation of notes that began with Romanticism and Anti- Transcendentalism. Put these notes together.

Transcendentalism

Transcend: [verb] to go beyond the limits of; exceed; be above and independent of the physical universe

Transcendentalism “We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men." - Henry David Thoreau (Dreamiest Transcendentalist)

Transcendentalism 1) A literary and philosophical movement, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller 2) Asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable through intuition and emotions.

Where did it come from? Ralph Waldo Emerson gave German philosopher Immanuel Kant credit for popularizing the term “transcendentalism.” It began as a reform movement in the Unitarian church. It is not a religion—more accurately, it is a philosophy or form of spirituality. It centered around Boston and Concord, MA. in the mid-1800’s. Emerson first expressed his philosophy of transcendentalism in his essay Nature.

Core Beliefs of Transcendentalism Finding its root in the word “transcend,” Transcendentalists believed individuals could transcend to a higher being of existence in nature. God is located in the soul of each individual. Humanity’s potential is limitless. Experience is valued over scholarship.

American Transcendental Thought focused on~ Self-reliance and individualism must outweigh external authority and blind conformity to custom and tradition. Spontaneous feelings and intuition are superior to deliberate intellectualism and rationality.

Philosophically: Transcendentalists believed there was an inherent connection between all living elements and human beings.. They believed that through the attainment of knowledge, human beings could transcend the limitations of the physical senses and attain spiritual awareness and enlightenment.

They believed that this knowledge resided within an individual and could be accessed through meditation, self awareness and communing with nature.

Spiritually: Personal belief and meditation was valued over organized worship and services. No mediator, such as a priest or minister, was necessary for a person to experience a connection with the divine.

They contended that there is a spark of the divine in all human beings, and that if we understand ourselves and are true to ourselves, then we are also true to God. “The foregoing generations beheld God and Nature face to face; we—through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe?” -Emerson

Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

Transcendentalists Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Transcendentalists Walt Whitman, Song of Myself and other poems

Transcendentalists Emily Dickinson, poetry

Most of the Transcendentalists became involved in social reform movements, especially anti-slavery and women's rights

Basic Premise #1 An individual is the spiritual center of the universe.

Basic Premise #2 All knowledge begins with self-knowledge. This is similar to Aristotle's dictum "know thyself."

Basic Premise #3 Transcendentalists accepted the concept of nature as a living mystery and the ultimate model for a good life