1. TRANSCENDENTALISM

2. WHERE DOES THE NAME TRANSCENDENTALISM COME FROM? Definition of Transcend 1.to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed 2.to outdo or exceed in excellence, elevation, extent, degree, etc.; surpass; excel.

3. TRANSCENDENTALISM Popular from 1836-1860 Important movement in both philosophy and literature 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. This knowledge comes through intuition and imagination not through logic or the senses. People can trust themselves to be their own authority on what is right.

4. MAIN BELIEFS Believed that the soul of each individual is identical with the soul of the world and contains what the world contains- Emerson called this the OVERSOUL.

5. CELEBRATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL An individual is the spiritual center of the universe- MAN IS DIVINE—and in an individual can be found the clue to nature, history and ultimately, the cosmos itself. Man is born good and NOT sinful

6. IMPORTANCE OF NATURE Nature is a living mystery, full of signs; nature is symbolic. Living close to nature is important

7. SELF-RELIANCE Trust yourself Don’t conform to what others believe is right; withdraw from society and become unique and separate

8. MAJOR TRANSCENDENTALISTS WE WILL STUDY Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Texts: “Nature” and “Self-Reliance” Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Texts: Civil Disobedience and Walden