[Class Title]
Introduction
The philosophy of transcendentalism is based on the belief that there exists a higher form of knowledge or reality that could not be fathomed by human reason, which humans can achieve. As defined by scholars, transcendentalism is the idea that people “have knowledge about themselves and the world around them that ‘transcends’ or goes beyond what they can see, hear, taste, touch or feel”. Transcendentalism is not a new concept. Historically, the idea of transcendentalism can be traced to the works of the Greek philosopher, Plato and the doctrines of major religions such as the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Robinson 24). The philosophy of Plato as well as the major religions has a trace of transcendentalism in a sense that they all believe in the existence of the supernatural; that there are things that could not be explained by nature or logic. In America, transcendentalism took its roots during the nineteenth century as pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson . Along with other notable individuals such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman and Margaret Fuller, Emerson formed a club wherein they discuss, share and analyze philosophical topics through the lens of transcendentalism. Emerson’s concept of transcendentalism was so influential that it became a major philosophy that shaped the social attitude of Americans even today.
The Rise of Transcendentalism in the United States
In America, the formal movement of transcendentalism materialized when the Transcendental Club was formed by Emerson and his colleagues in 1936. However, transcendentalism as a philosophical concept is not native to the Americans. As observed by scholars, the concepts of transcendentalisms were inspired by the works of English and German writers, “particularly the literature of Coleridge, Wordsworth and Goethe, and in the post-Kantian idealism of Thomas Carlyle and Victor Cousin”. Most significantly, transcendentalism is a product of the Great Awakening; a religious revolution that challenged traditional Calvinism of Puritans in America. The American Transcendentalism movement started by Emerson, for instance, is believed to have originated when the New England Congregationalists start to break away from Puritan Calvinism, a major Protestant denomination that dominated England during the 15th century and was brought by the first European settlers of the New World. Early Congregationalists were also referred to as Unitarians primarily because they oppose the Puritan’s belief in the trinity. As observed by scholars “Unitarians held that Jesus was in some way inferior to God the Father, but still greater than human beings”. Unitarians also oppose the version of Calvinism, which asserts that man is inherently sinful or corrupt. For Unitarians, people are inherently good. Unitarians believe that human beings are made in the likeness of God and so humans can partake of God’s divinity and achieve “a growing likeness to the Supreme Being”. While Calvinism compels obedience among its members, the Unitarians emphasized rational thought and harmony, which eventually became the tenets of Transcendentalism. Unitarians, therefore, refuse to adhere to any ritualism or dogmas, but focused on rational doctrines. Unitarianism took its deepest roots in New England, especially in Boston where there were many converts. Many of the converts were “upright, respectable, wealthy Boston citizens” who preferred the religion from the Puritan version of Calvinism.. Being a religion of the intellectuals, Unitarianism gained many converts within the academic community, most especially in colleges and universities. Scholars believe that there is a deep connection between Unitarianism and Transcendentalism. Accordingly, one could not properly understand Transcendentalism without understanding Unitarianism. As observed by scholars, Transcendentalism “evolved almost as an organic consequence” of Unitarianism, its parent religion. Transcendentalism is a revolt against Unitarianism not in terms of doctrines, but in terms of the intensity of their approach. Unitarians, for instance, prefer calm rationalism while Transcendentalists prefer a “more intense spiritual experience”. There is, however, a major cause of division between Unitarians and Transcendentalists in their belief regarding the empirical proof of religion. Unitarians, for instance, believe that the accounts in the Bible can be proven through empirical evidence. Transcendentalists, on the other hand, believe that “no empirical proof of religion could be satisfactory”.
Life and Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson is the founding leader of the transcendental society that emerged in the United States in the nineteenth century. Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1803, Emerson has a strong religious background as he came from a family of ministers . It should be noted that Emerson has been heavily influenced by the doctrines of Unitarianism primarily because his father was a Unitarian minister. Emerson’s father died when he was only eight years old, but it did not hinder him to pursue his insatiable interests in philosophy, history and rhetoric. At a young age of 14, Emerson attended Harvard, where he may have started to develop his concepts of transcendentalism. He continued to pursue his divinity studies at Harvard after a teaching career in Boston; all the while being a pastor in some of the churches in Boston. The Boston Second Church ordained Emerson as its minister in 1829 and in the same year, he married Ellen Louisa Tucker . In the following years, tragedy struck Emerson when his wife, Ellen Tucker, died two years after their marriage. After which, he resigned his ministerial job and travelled to Europe wherein he was able to meet notable individuals during his time, such as Thomas Carlyle, J. S. Mill and the famous authors, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Upon his return from Europe, Emerson married Lidian Jackson and the couple had four children. But tragedy struck again when one of his sons died with scarlet fever. Scholars believe that such tragedies have a profound impact on the life philosophies of Emerson. Dedicating himself to lecturing and writing, Emerson was able to produce several books and essays. Among his notable works is the book entitled, ‘Nature,’ wherein he discussed the harmony between nature and the human being. Emerson published, ‘Essays,’ in 1841 wherein it contained several articles, such as The Over-Soul, Self Reliance, History and Circles. Another essay compilation was published by Emerson in 1843 entitled, ‘Essays – Second Series,’ which contained works such as Experience, Nominalist and Realist and The Poet. Emerson was one of the most travelled and prolific American writer and lecturer in his time. He also made many journal entries and became an avid supporter of anti-slavery and the abolition movement in America.
Major Tenets of Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism evolved from being a religious doctrine into a major philosophical concept. One of its major tenets, as promoted by Emerson, is the belief that man has the ability to go beyond the physical into something spiritual. In his work, ‘Nature,’ Emerson implied that nature is something that is part of the supernatural and man, being a part of nature, has something supernatural in him. As stated by Emerson, “I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God”. Since man is part divine, transcendentalists believe that man, in nature, is good. A similar concept regarding the nature of man has been proposed by the English philosopher, John Locke. However, contrary to Locke’s empiricism wherein the experience of the senses is emphasized, transcendentalists believe that knowledge of things is not determined through the senses alone, but also through intuition. Man, therefore, does not need a rigid guide to determine right from wrong. Through intuition, man can discern the right thing to do. Society, however, corrupts man’s intuition through its customs, values and traditions. Man, therefore, loses his natural instincts and become misguided by his social environment. By emphasizing intuition and self-reliance, scholars believe that transcendentalism strongly influenced the individualistic attitude of the American society .
Conclusion
Transcendentalism is the belief that divinity exists in everything. For the same reason, individuals are capable of going beyond their physical abilities. It provides a way to explain the unexplainable by claiming that man can transcend or go beyond what is material and can be perceived by the senses. Transcendentalism has evolved from being a religious movement into a major philosophy of understanding human spirituality and existence. It was a concept that was developed over time through the contribution of notable thinkers in Europe, but was specifically given attention when it gained a significant following in America in the 19th century. Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the most remarkable transcendentalists of all time. Being one of the most prolific lecturer and writer of transcendentalism, Emerson was instrumental in the development of transcendentalism as a modern philosophy. Despite the fact that transcendentalism is not an original concept, Emerson established the major tenets of transcendentalism in the context of American culture and made it a unique philosophy in its own merits.
Works Cited
Emerson, R.W. Nature. n.d. April 2016 <http://ed.psu.edu/englishpds/10-11/newhouse/My_Unit_files/Emerson's%20Nature.pdf>.
European Graduate School. RALPH WALDO EMERSON - BIOGRAPHY. 2012. April 2016 <http://www.egs.edu/library/ralph-waldo-emerson/biography/>.
Finseth, I.F. American Transcendentalism. 1995. April 2016 <http://thoreau.eserver.org/amertran.html>.
Goodman, R. Ralph Waldo Emerson. 2014. April 2016 <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/emerson/>.
—. Transcendentalism. 2015. April 2016 <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentalism/>.
Medenhall, A. Emersonian Individualism. 2011. April 2016 <https://mises.org/library/emersonian-individualism>.
Robinson, D. Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, and Transcendentalism. 2007. April 2016 <http://als.dukejournals.org/content/2007/1/3.full.pdf>.
USHistory.Org. Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy. 2014. April 2016 <http://www.ushistory.org/us/26f.asp>.
