In the 1800s, a philosophy known as transcendentalism arose in early America. This philosophy soon developed into the transcendentalist movement. Followers of this movement sought a spiritual and individualistic lifestyle. Two of the most recognized and influential believers of this movement, or transcendentalists, were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Emerson and Thoreau held significant values about transcendentalism, and believed in questioning the government and politics, assessing nature and its qualities, and focusing on the importance of the individual. A fairly new system of government and politics was a huge outcome of America’s hunger to grow. As people began to shift into a democratic lifestyle, Emerson and Thoreau began …show more content…
In Emerson’s Self-Reliance, he communicates that when a man believes in his own conscience and heart, he is genius. The idea of not conforming to society, yet sticking to personal ideas and practices, was popular among transcendentalists, and influenced heavily by Emerson and Thoreau. Due to those ideas, transcendentalists were and still are stereotyped as “hippies.” However, unlike the hippies of the 1960s, these people did not simply reject society; instead, they formulated ways to influence the nation into a greater and alternative culture. Doing this exact thing is becoming more popular among today’s world, and Emerson and Thoreau’s standing impact on free thinkers could be part of the cause. Those who choose to believe in themselves and rely on their own spirit could be considered the transcendentalists of today. Transcendentalism was conceivably one of the most important movements in American history. It was an influential philosophy, brought to life by thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Though this movement’s prime was during the 1800s, its way of thinking can still be influential today. With powerful morals and spiritualistic views, people in today’s society could easily grasp onto transcendentalism and move toward a more free-minded lifestyle, just like Emerson and Thoreau wanted their society to
Emerson is known as the father of Transcendentalism because he was the founder of the movement. His writings appealed to both intellectuals and the general public even if his new ideas were hard for most of society to understand. Emerson’s entire life journey was transcendental. He was constantly thinking outside of society’s norms. Emerson once said “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist” (Emerson). Emerson means that to be a real man you cannot conform to what society wants you to be. Society tends to want everyone to think the same way and do what they are told to do. A man cannot go around following others and not thinking for himself.
Transcendentalists Thoreau and Emerson conveyed strong, specific viewpoints on the world through their writing. The transcendentalist ideals differ vastly with the lives lived by most of the modern world today. Firstly, the two differ on views of self-reliance. Secondly, they have different outlooks on the government and organized groups. Lastly, transcendentalist and modern American views vary by the way they view nature. These differences between transcendentalism and life today are essential in understanding life then, as well as life now.
Although not looked upon as a widely popular topic in the 21st century, transcendentalism has played a role in everyone's life. Action of the tenets and values of transcendentalist people vary. Religious traditions from each generation amplify the movement along with the social and political activity.
Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century that was majorly influenced by a romantic way of thinking. This meant that they were forming new conclusions about the natural world and that they were less rational, more intuitive, more in touch with the senses. A major belief of transcendentalism was the goodness of both nature and people, and that society corrupts the purity of an individual. Two influential transcendentalists were Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson and Thoreau were both involved in social reform movements such as women’s rights and anti-slavery.
The philosophical and religious movement of Transcendentalism was created during the early 1800’s. People who consider themselves Transcendentalists are dedicated to the ideas and ways that society’s government and controlled religion will destroy the self. They believe in the self and the pureness of the individual. They also had an understanding that all people held a piece of God inside of them; belief that God is one being and all people are combined into one God. Henry David Thoreau is considered one of the well-known Transcendentalists of his time. In Walden and Civil Disobedience there is proof that provides insight into Thoreau’s life and why he was chosen to be one.
An influential literary movement in the nineteenth century, transcendentalism placed an emphasis on the wonder of nature and its deep connection to the divine. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embraced these principles. In their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience”, Emerson and Thoreau, respectively, argue for individuality and personal expression in different manners. In “Self-Reliance”, Emerson calls for individuals to speak their minds and resist societal conformity, while in “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urged Americans to publicly state their opinions in order to improve their own government.
...ed to an optimistic emphasis on individualism, self-reliance, and rejection of traditional authority” (American 1). The major players in the transcendentalist movement are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. They shared ideas such as self-reliance, and ideas about how there is a divine being that controls every person. They influenced many other writers and they even had an effect on the American society, then and now. Transcendentalism was a philosophy and a way of life. It will continue to be this as long as we have access to the great minds of the transcendental movement.
“The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy.”(Emerson 196). These two lines written by Ralph Waldo Emerson exemplify the whole movement of transcendentalist writers and what they believed in. Though to the writers, transcendentalism was a fight for a belief, unknown to them they could have been fighting for the betterment of human health. The transcendentalist writings of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson have directly affected the health of modern society through the idea of transcendental meditation. Through modern science, scientists have linked increases in health among individuals through the use of transcendental meditation.
Thoreau wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” The words transformed people’s lives to think more of the why in life and live with a purpose not just do what they are told, which was a driving idea within the Transcendentalist movements. Transcendentalist were hard to define, but perhaps one of the fathers of transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson defines it most gracefully in a speech he gave, “The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine, He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power: he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy”. As Emerson’s key student and self-proclaimed Transcendentalist Thoreau fulfilled these requirements to help further this movement of higher
Transcendentalism is based upon five pillars. These pillars include: confidence, non-conformity, nature, self-reliance, and free thought. These ideas were unique for the early 1800’s. Such important people included, Emerson, and Thoreau, that pioneered this new way of thinking. Transcendentalism countered the ideas of such important figures as Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, and Ben Franklin. The countered addressed philosophies on reason and justification. Transcendentalists believe things can happen for any reason. After reviewing the following sources, it is evident that transcendentalism should be glorified on its stance on free thought. This will be proven through, the true life story, “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s, “Nature.”
“Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy.” U.S. History Online Textbook. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
Transcendentalism is a social, religious, and literary movement: a philosophy. Combining elements from the romantic period with eastern philosophical beliefs, it sought to fight against rationalism and conformism by inspiring individuals to look into their inner selves and embrace their own beliefs. One of the spearheads leading this movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson: an American writer and philosopher who sought to teach others what he himself had found. Transcendalists, such as Emerson, viewed society as a catalyst for downfall and instead believed that humans were inherently good and pure; embracing our inner feelings and emotions and ignoring expectations and conformity are essential to achieve happiness and fulfillment. Such ideas can
Transcendentalism is where people feel empowered and their surroundings surpass their five senses. Where intuition and imagination overpower logic and reason. There are five tenets that go along with transcendentalism: non conformity, self-reliance, free thought, confidence, and importance of nature. Non conformity is failure or refusal to conform to a prevailing rule or practice. Self-reliance is reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others. Free thought is anything you think and express unaffected by other people's views. Confidence is the state of feeling certain about the truth of something. The importance of nature is where people need nature to relieve their feelings and connect to their home. Qualities of transcendentalism
Influenced mainly by the writings of Emerson and Thoreau, transcendentalism was the movement that emphasized relationships between man and nature that told people to look beyond the physical and transcend into the spiritual. Although the belief does encourage a lifestyle of non materialism and living simply, the core faiths of relying on yourself and nature are not correspondent with biblical teachings.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, a leading transcendentalist and close friend of David Henry Thoreau, says, “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, — that is genius. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost, —— and our first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment” (Self-Reliance). Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writing Self-Reliance had an impact on David Henry Thoreau and is influential as to why he moved out to Walden