American Transcendentalism Radical Romantics Inspirations n Kant a

American Transcendentalism Radical Romantics

Inspirations n Kant- a famous philosopherclaimed that “all knowledge is transcendental which is not concerned with objects but knowing objects. ”

Transcendentalism n A literary movement, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson, says the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the scientific is knowable through intuition.

Transcendentalism Reaction to Puritanism. n Born out of the Unitarian Church, a liberal, intellectual form of Christianity. n Belief that all people can access god (spirituality) through themselves. n

Transcendentalism Belief that people are born good. n All people, animals, things are connected and share the same soul. Called the Over Soul. n

Transcendentalism Belief in idealism n Man is inherently moral n Intuition is the best guide. Greater than Reason. n One should follow creative impulses n

Transcendentalism If man were left to his natural state--not influenced by society--he would naturally be moral. n Society pollutes man. n

Transcendentalism believes that the essence of things is more important than the thing itself. n British poet William Wordsworth: “it is seeing into the life of things. ” n

Transcendentalism Began by Emerson and Thoreau as a literary movement. n Thoreau Began Communes: Brook Farm and Fruitlands. n

Transcendentalism n Basic belief: “By meditating, by communing with nature through art, man transcends his senses and finds beauty, goodness, and truth”

Impact n While Transcendentalism never spread more than 50 miles from Boston. It is said to be inspirations for the following: Walt Whitman and Robert Frost n Civil Rights Movement of the 20 th Century. n