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In the unit “The Spirit of Individualism” there are two parts, “Celebrations of the self” and “The Dark side of Individualism” with pieces that present very different perspectives on human nature. “The Dark side of Individualism” portrays human nature as greedy, confused, easily caught up in fame, and addicted to wealth and possessions. In “Celebrations of the Self”, human nature is viewed in a more positive light. The characteristics shown are self reliance, independence, wisdom and selflessness. “The Dark side of Individualism” pieces are written in a more macabre tone, whereas “Celebrations of the Self” pieces have a more positive and uplifting tone to them. The generalizations of human nature are different because of the pieces in “The Dark side of Individualism” and “Celebrations of the Self” have entirely different views on life and human nature. In the section “Celebrations of the Self”, the pieces focus on gaining wisdom, living harmoniously with nature, and relying on what the individual believes to be right. Self reliance is encouraged by being able to “Trust t...
Take a minute to relax. Enjoy the lightness, or surprising heaviness, of the paper, the crispness of the ink, and the regularity of the type. There are over four pages in this stack, brimming with the answer to some question, proposed about subjects that are necessarily personal in nature. All of philosophy is personal, but some philosophers may deny this. Discussed here are philosophers that would not be that silly. Two proto-existentialists, Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, were keen observers of humanity, and yet their conclusions were different enough to seem contradictory. Discussed here will be Nietzsche’s “preparatory human being” and Kierkegaard’s “knight of faith”. Both are archetypal human beings that exist in accordance to their respective philosopher’s values, and as such, each serve different functions and have different qualities. Both serve the same purpose, though. The free spirit and the knight of faith are both human beings that brace themselves against the implosion of the god concept in western society.
“Everyman, I will go with thee and by thy guide, in thy most need to go by thy side,” said Randolf Hayes while talking about Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s pieces of literature is The American Scholar. This connects to Jon Krakuaer’s novel, Into the Wild. All of these pieces connect because they all show transcendentalism.
The persuasive essay, “Individuality vs. Conformity: The Healthy MIddle,” discusses, how there maybe a difference but maybe it is 50/50. He discusses and argues about where is the middle. In addition, he believes that people want to fit in but be different. The author supports her argument by justifying and defining about how it is human nature to want to be liked. In addition, to that people have a feeling of liquid fire going through there veins which is the natural feeling of someone feeling there need for individuality and people want to attain the status. The authors purpose is to persuade the readers, specifically high school students in order to show the healthy middle between conformity
In this essay, I will compare the philosophies of transcendentalism and anti-transcendentalism through the writings of Thoreau and Emerson vs. Melville. In Thoreau’s excerpt of “Walden”, he tested the transcendentalist philosophy through experience. Emerson’s transcendental writing style is displayed in “Nature”. In Melville’s excerpt of Moby Dick, he exhibits anti-transcendentalism in his work.
In this paper I will be talking about the pros and cons of American individualism in the stories “The Yellow Wallpaper”, “The Masque of the Red Death”. ” The Raven”, and “For Some Wiccans”. My opinion on the stories, poem, and article and what I think the perfect person would be like. Their are some benefits to American individualism like being yourself and doing everything your self.
Transcendentalism is based on the belief that institutions in the society corrupt an individual’s purity. Transcendentalists believe that people are at their best when they are truly independent and self-reliant. They also believe that from independence and self-reliance, a true community is formed. Even though Transcendentalism is not recognized, it still exists in the modern society. Though not clearly outspoken as in Emerson and Thoreau’s times, many people in today’s society still have transcendental beliefs. Transcendental ideals are found in songs, films, books and other works such as media and advertisements. One example is the song “Get up, Stand up,” by Bob Marley, it is found to be influenced and has inspiration of transcendental elements such as Solitude (individuality), self-reliance, non-conformism (anti-institution), anti-materialism, nature and spirituality.
Before I started cheering, both of my parents never knew how much goes into being a cheerleader. Though soccer was the sport I grew up playing, I ended up quitting to try out for cheerleading in seventh grade. I made the squad that year and I immediately became attached to cheerleading, though my parents did not know how to react exactly. Of course they were happy for me since it was something that I wanted to do, but it was not soccer. My dad did not consider cheerleading to be a sport in the beginning, claiming that “there is no team quality to cheering.” It was safe to say that he did not necessarily like that I quit soccer to take up cheering since he did not consider cheerleading to be a real sport. I have learned that going against tradition and conformity is difficult, but is worth it in the end.
Modern day transcendentalists are not easily found anymore in society. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what a transcendentalist is. By being your own self, following your own standards and being yourself, you become transcendental. By looking at the Robertsons’ way of life, they would make a tremendous example of modern day transcendentalists. Their religion, love of nature, and individualism create a transcendental lifestyle.
The notion of individualism is extremely important in exercising the duty people have to cease from the...
When an average person seeks happiness, most often they search in the wrong place: "If only I could have that I would be happy." For ages, man has been seeking happiness from outside, not within. People have the misconception that material things and materialistic goals will bring them ultimate happiness, but in truth those only bring transient happiness. True and lasting happiness can be reached from within when one realizes the ultimate truth. This ultimate truth, the main focus of transcendentalism, can be reached through self-reliance, nature, and oversoul, the main principals of the philosophy. By meditation, by communing with nature, through work and art, man could transcend his senses and attain an understanding of beauty, goodness, and truth.
That Government Is Best which Governs Not at All Henry David Thoreau was an American author, philosopher and historian. The roots of the political views of Thoreau derive from Transcendentalism - a philosophy that became influential in the late 18th century and 19th century. Transcendentalism rejects the idea that knowledge can be fully derived from experience and observation of the physical world. American transcendentalism reached its peak in New England in the 1840s, under the leadership of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson argued that, while the physical world is important, providing us with necessary goods and frequent beauty, people should live their lives based on truths grasped through reason, not just physical perception.
Henry David Thoreau started writing nature poetry in the 1840s with the help of his mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson. The transcendentalist is known for the book Walden. Thoreau once said that “We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us.” This means that society is too materialistic and technology typically controls us. He hopes that this would allow him to “meet the facts of life… the vital facts,” and rediscover the beauty and grandeur of that life. Away from the complexities and tasks of everyday life, he wants to live simply, close to nature. In writing, he truly seeks nature for inspiration because he believes that a style that imitates nature conveys the principal truths of human nature.
In his work, Who is Man, Abraham J. Heschel embarks on a philosophical and theological inquiry into the nature and role of man. Through analysis of the meaning of being human, Heschel determines eight essential traits of man. Heschel believes that the eight qualities of preciousness, uniqueness, nonfinality, process and events, solitude and solidarity, reciprocity, and sanctity constitute the image of man that defines a human being. Yet Heschel’s eight qualities do not reflect the essential human quality of the realization of mortality. The modes of uniqueness and opportunity, with the additional singular human quality of the realization of mortality, are the most constitutive of human life as uniqueness reflects the fundamental nature of humanity,
The purpose of this essay will be to discuss whether human nature is good, or evil, or both good and evil, or neither good nor evil. To facilitate the following discussion, human nature here would be defined as the distinguishing characteristics we born with, that we tend to have naturally without the influence of external factors. The definition agrees to Xunzi’s, that nature is what is given by Heaven: one cannot learn it; one cannot acquire it by effort. This essay will explain that the deepest essence of human nature is self-preservation and reproduction, which cannot be truly classified into good or evil. It is followed by how we are diverged to behave goodly or badly, argument against the “good nature theory” and different between self-preservation with greed and aggression.
In the opening of his selection, he talks about the notion of individuality against collectivism. He states that as man completely isolates himself from society, he is in complete dilemma because he is not aware of what is good from bad. Furthermore, he does not have any identity because he cannot distinguish himself from his surroundings, which are merely animals and plants. On the contrary, a person who allows himself to be dictated by the society loses his personal identity and ends up being a follower of what is imposed upon him. We must realize that man should not follow solely on what the society dictates nor completely isolate himself from his surroundings but instead a balance must exist between these two extremes. Based from our discussion in class, man is considered to be social being and needs interaction in order to live. Man should not be easily influenced by externalities; rather, he must use his intellect and free will to educate himself about life.