Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism was a movement in philosophy, literature, and religion that emerged and was popular in the nineteenth century New England because of a need to redefine man and his place in the world in response to a new and changing society. The industrial revolution, universities, westward expansion, urbanization and immigration all made the life in a city like Boston full of novelty and turbulence. Transcendentalism was a reaction to an impoverishment of religion and mechanization of consciousness of eighteenth century rational doctrines that ceased to be satisfying. After the success of the American Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, an American man emerged confident and energetic. However, with the release of nervous energy, an American was forced to look at a different angle at his place in the world and society. The world of the nineteenth century Boston was that of emergence of new currents of thought in response to the conservative atmosphere. The wealthy upper classes (the aristocracy) were conservative and suspicious of any innovations. They dominated the society and demanded conformity to their social ideals, being suspicious of any new structure of society. The irony was that by their reliance on tradition
Emerson, the unofficial leader of the transcendentalism whose philosophy served as a paradigm for the movement's members, was also influenced by oriental mysticism. He developed a theory of correspondence, which stated that an individual, (the microcosm or Indian atman), and the Oversoul, (macrocosm or Indian Brahman) have the same structure, because God is immanent in every human being. "We see God around us because he dwells within us. The beauty of God's works is revealed to the mind by a light beaming from itself." Intuition was the means for a conscious union of individual psyche with world psyche. An individual is the spiritual center of the world. Clues to nature, cosmos, and history can be found in an individual. Therefore, all knowledge begins with Aristotle's dictum, "Know thyself," or self-knowledge. Immediately after transcendentalism was acclaimed as a separate religious school, a question of miracles came up. Transcendentalists claimed that Biblical miracles are not important because miracles are all around us. "A mouse is miracle enough to stagger quintillions of infidels," said Walt Whitman. For transcendentalists, God was everywhere, and since nature had spiritual manifestations, they stressed their emphasis on here and now, their concern for life, and not for afterlife. "Give me one world at a time," Thoreau had said. Emerson believed that the idea that Jesus needed to "prove" his power by miracles separated humanity and divinity. Unitarians and transcendentalists disagreed on the role of outside God in revelations. Jonathan Edwards, before the transcendental movement, was the first one to say that an individual can receive divine light directly, without the guidance of a pastor. But this assumes the acts of God, that revelation as divine light can be brought to an individual from the outside, while correspondence proclaims the constant presence of divinity, "the divine light," in each person. By opening the door to the exercise of the intellect and free conscience, and encouraging an individual in his quest for divine meaning, Unitarians unwittingly sowed the seeds for the transcendental revolt.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Oversoul Emerson, Indian Brahman, Freeman Clarke, Jackson Turner, Laboring Classes, Revolution American, Unitarians Revelations, Word God, Jesus God, Temple School, nineteenth century, industrial revolution, divine light, transcendentalists attempted, bronson alcott, change reform, westward expansion, transcendentalists claimed, eighteenth century, reconciliation expansive contracting, ethical conduct, women nineteenth century, liberal branch unitarianism, william ellery channing, industrial revolution american,
Approximate Word count = 3312
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
