Transcendentalism

1
Transcendentalism

• 1840-1860

2
Definition of Transcendentalism

• Transcendentalism is an American literary,
  political, and philosophical movement
• It was centered around Ralph Waldo Emerson.
• Criticized contemporary society for its
  unthinking conformity
• Believed in the innate (inborn) goodness of
  humans
• Transcendentalism, is a form of idealism, or a
  belief in and pursuit of human perfection as an
  attainable goal.

3
The Big Three

• The three major authors of transcendentalism are
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Henry David Thoreau
• Margaret Fuller.

4
The Industrial Revolution

• The industrialization of America
• Expanded transportation
• Expansion of factories
• Effective harnessing of electricity
• Improved agricultural practices
• People moved from farms to cities
• Overcrowding, disease, and pollution
• Terrible work conditions
• Dehumanization people became factory lines
• Increased materialism
• Transcendentalism was a reaction AGAINST the
  Revolution

5
Religious Roots

• Differed greatly from the bleaker beliefs of
  Puritans
• Transcendentalists believed that humans could
  strive to become better and be closer to God
  through nature

6
Religion Contd

• Nineteenth Century American Transcendentalism is
  not a religion
• It is a pragmatic philosophy, a state of mind,
  and a form of spirituality.
• People must have a direct relationship with God
  and nature.

7
The Oversoul

• All forms of being- God, nature, and humanity are
  all spiritually united through a shared universal
  soul, or Oversoul.
• Every individual is to be respected because
  everyone has a portion of that Oversoul (God).

• God can be found in both nature and human nature
  (Nature, Emerson stated, has spiritual
  manifestations).
• can be found everywhere - travel to holy places
  is, therefore, not necessary.

8
Self-knowledge

• Before Transcendentalism many believed John
  Locke's blank slate theory (tabula rasa), or, we
  are all born with a "blank slate"- all knowledge
  comes from the outside.
• The entire resource of knowledge is built up
  gradually from experiences and sensory
  perceptions of the outside world.
• This is the nurture side of the nature vs.
  nurture debate.
• Transcendentalists believe however, that all
  knowledge comes from self- knowledge (the
  nature side of the debate).
• We each know how to behave if we only trust our
  inner light (Emerson called it our "whim")

9
Individualism

• The Transcendentalists, in keeping with the
  individualistic nature of this philosophy,
  disagreed readily with each other.
• They were not a cohesive, organized group who
  shared a formal doctrine.
• They were distinct and independent individuals
  who accepted some basic premises about mans
  place in the universe.
• 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.
• The soul of each individual is identical with the
  soul of the world and contains what the world
  contains.

10
Self-realization

• Centered upon the belief that individual virtue
  and happiness depend upon self-realization.
• A philosophy that requires human beings to go
  beyond (transcend) reason in their search for
  truth.
• an individual can arrive at the basic truths of
  life he or she takes the time to think seriously
  about them.

11
Critics

• Hawthorne and Melville (Dark Romantics)
  criticized Transcendentalism
• thought that Transcendentalists ignored two
  powerful realities
• reality of evil
• reality of human love
• were not convinced that humanity, if left to its
  own devices would behave well.