A non-‘hippie’ guide…okay it’s a little hippie… Transcendentalism A non-‘hippie’ guide…okay it’s a little hippie…

What caused Transcendentalism? Social and political changes brought an end to the domination of the eastern establishment. Industrial and technological developments Experiments to counter the industrial revolution

What is Transcendentalism? A Literary Movement A philosopical Movement An intellectual Movement My favorite Movement With religious UNDERtones

You will see Romanticism: Focused on Individualism Democratic Remembers the poor and oppressed Mystical Optimistic

Four Basic Tenets The fundamental truths of being and the universe lie beyond the senses and can only be understood through intuition.

This reminds us of…the eternal fight between… Empiricism All human knowledge comes from the evidence of our five senses. THEREFORE, we can never know more, or with greater certainty, than our sense will allow. A posteriori: from particular instances to a general principle or law; based upon actual observation or upon experimental data (not existing in the mind prior to or independent of experience.) Rationalism At least some human knowledge comes from reason, unaided by senses. THEREFORE, we can know about things that our senses do not reveal to us, and we can know with greater certainty than our senses will allow. A priori: relating to what can be known through an understanding of how certain things work rather than by observation

Four Basic Tenets The focus of transcendentalism is on the human spirit and the spiritual relationship between humanity and nature.

Man Nature God

Four Basic Tenets Nature is a manifestation of the human spirit. The meaning of existence can be found through exploring nature.

Four Basic Tenets All forms of being –God, nature, man– are spiritually united under a shared universal soul—the Over-Soul.

Basic Premise #1 An individual is the spiritual center of the universe, and in an individual can be found the clue to nature, history and, ultimately, the cosmos itself. It is not a rejection of the existence of God, but a preference to explain an individual and the world in terms of an individual.

Basic Premise #2 The structure of the universe literally duplicates the structure of the individual self—all knowledge, therefore, begins with self-knowledge. This is similar to Aristotle's dictum "know thyself."

Basic Premise #3 Transcendentalists accepted the concept of nature as a living mystery, full of signs; nature is symbolic.

Basic Premise #4 The belief that individual virtue and happiness depend upon self-realization—this depends upon the reconciliation of two universal psychological tendencies: The desire to embrace the whole world—to know and become one with the world. The desire to withdraw, remain unique and separate—an egotistical existence.

…because ‘society’ is questionable… The Natural World Has to provide answers that society cannot. …because ‘society’ is questionable…

Back up: The Cave (Socrates)

Five Themes Cultural Naturalism Religious impulse Authority Validation of Spirit Interpretation

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry David Thoreau

“Nature provides exceptions to every rule” Margaret Fuller

Nature Nature is more than Nature—it’s the Nature of things—of man—of you—of me!