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American Transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson+Henry David Thoreau What is Transcendentalism Idealistic philosophy, spiritual position,and literary movement that advocates reliance on romantic intuition and moral human conscience Belief that humans can intuitively transcend the limits of the senses and of logic to a plane of “high truths” Value spirituality,divinity of humanity, nature, intellectual pursuit, social justice Roughly 1830s-1850s Where did it come from? Ralph Waldo Emerson gave German philosopher Immanuel Kant credit of popularizing the term “transcendentalism” It began as a reform movement in the Unitarian church It is a philosophy of spirituality. It centered around Boston and Concord, MA. In the mid-1800’s. Emerson first expressed his philosophy of transcendentalism in his essay Nature. Beliefs of Transcendentalism The intuitive faculty, instead of the rational or sensical, became the means for a conscious union of the individual psyche with the world psyche also known as the Oversoul, life-force, prime mover and G-d (known in Sanskrit as Brahma) Transcendentalism as Spiritual Revival Ironic refiguring of Puritanism without the theological dogma Transcendentalists lonely explorers (pilgrims)outside society and convention Trying to form new society based on metaphysical awareness Trying to purify society by purifying hearts and minds Nature is spiritual manifesto. Major Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson——father of American transcendentalism Henry David Thoreau——famous practical transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882 Unitarian minister Poet and essayist Founded the Transcendental Club Popular lecturer Banned from Harvard for 40 years following his Divinity School address Supporter of abolitionism Emerson’s Major Works Emerson’s Major Works 6) Representative Men 1850 7) English Traits 1856 8) The Conduct of Life 1860 9) May-Day and Other Pieces 1867 Nature Most of his major ideas: the need for