Transcendentalism

       Transcendentalism is when people, of both genders, have awareness about themselves and the world around them that goes beyond what they can see, hear, taste, touch or feel. It came to be in late 1820s and 1830s in the United States. This awareness comes from intuition and imagination, but not through logic or the senses. People who believe in transcendentalism are called transcendentalist. Transcendentalists trusts themselves to know what is right and what is wrong. They agree with these ideas not as spiritual philosophies but as a way of understanding life contacts. Transcendentalists trust in the integral goodness of individuals and nature. They believe that people are at their greatest when they are genuinely separate from society and its institutions. The Transcendental Club was led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the club met in Boston in one of the homes of its members.

       The Transcendentalist movement is primarily associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson. He is known for his extensive knowledge on the subject and his writings. He grew up a Unitarian and studied as a minister. Eventually after his father and fiancé passed, he decided he wanted to follow another path of belief. He decided to travel the world in attempt to have an intimate experience with god. He began to lecture on spiritual awakening and living ethically. He finally settled down in Concord, Massachusetts’s. There he hit his stride as a writer. He worked as co-editor of The Dial and published two volumes of essays containing some of his most well-known works. In his later life he continued to lecture and educate the next generation of transcendentalists. He died in 1882 leaving a lasting impact on all those who came after him.

Quiz questions

11)     Is transcendentalism logic based or intuition based?

22)     Who primarily started and wrote about transcendentalism?

33)     Name a well-known work of Emerson’s.

Discussion questions

11)     Emerson writes that people are distracted by the demands of the world. Do you agree?

22)     Emerson believes that for a person to truly experience “the sublime” they must rid themselves of material cares. Is this necessary?

33)     Socrates and Emerson believe every society has a code of conduct that people living in it follow. Do you agree
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Sources

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Ralph Waldo Emerson.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson.

Goodman, Russell. “Transcendentalism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 30 Aug. 2019, plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentalism/.


“Ralph Waldo Emerson.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 22 July 2019, www.biography.com/writer/ralph-waldo-emerson.