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Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that arose in the United States in the 1830s from the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreu, Margaret Fuller, and other thinkers of the time. It consists of the notion that an individual should be guided by his own intuition and his best qualities. In this way, he will be able to live a fulfilling life and produce a positive change in society.
Background of transcendentalism
The origin of transcendentalism is related to different ideologies present in Europe and the United States at the end of the 18th century and the beginning and middle of the 19th century. On the one hand, the influence of the cultural movements of romanticism, naturalism and the principles of Kantian philosophy was essential; On the other hand, Hinduism and the religious current of Christian Unitarianism also had an influence.
Influences of romanticism, naturalism and Kantian philosophy
The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was one of the first to speak of “transcendentalism” in his doctrine of idealistic transcendentalism. In his Critique of Pure Reason , published in 1781, Kant used the term to explain that knowledge transcends what we can observe through the senses and requires an understanding of the way in which the mind processes the information that they perceive. .
Romanticism was an artistic and literary movement and originated from the social changes that occurred after the Industrial Revolution. It had its peak between the years 1800 and 1850. It was characterized by focusing on the individualism of each person and prioritizing self-awareness, its creative power, the importance of emotions and ethical, moral, aesthetic ideals, etc.
Naturalism was another artistic, literary, and philosophical movement that somewhat opposed the ideas of Romanticism, setting aside its subjectivity and replacing it with objectivity, observation, and realistic description, focusing primarily on nature and objects. most marginalized sectors of society. Naturalism arose in France after the publication of the book On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin in 1859 and was later consolidated from the work of the French writer Émile Zola and other authors.
Historical context in the United States
In addition to the influence of these movements, different social, political, and religious changes were taking place in the United States.
Unitarianism was a Christian theological current that originated at the end of the 18th century, in the New England region, especially in the state of Massachusetts. Unitarianism was based on extreme monotheism, held that there was only one God, denied the divinity of Jesus and the existence of the Trinity, and rejected various rituals and religious teachings that it did not consider biblical. This current achieved great popularity among students at Harvard University; later, William Ellery Channing, a minister in the Unitarian Church, further contributed to the spread of Unitarianism. In fact, his sermons had a great influence on the writer and Unitarian minister Ralph Waldo Emerson, who is considered the father of transcendentalism.
At the same time, with the development of big cities and new technology, American society was showing a marked tendency towards consumerism, it was divided between various religious currents and the differences between social classes were increasing. In addition to slavery, and economic and gender inequality, labor exploitation was common. This social context motivated some young idealists to find a spiritual philosophy that could truly meet the needs of the individual human being and of society as a whole.
Origin of transcendentalism
Transcendentalism arose in the 1830s, primarily from the publication of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s thoughts, and lasted until the 1860s.
After suffering the sudden death of his wife, Emerson, who was a Unitarian minister, resigned from his service and began a personal spiritual search. In 1836 he published his essay On Nature , a work based on his own experience, where he analyzes and reflects on human interaction and nature from a romantic and idealistic philosophical point of view, thus laying the foundations of transcendentalism. Later, with his work De él El transcendentalista, published in 1942, he distinguished between materialistic and idealistic people, the need to spend time in solitude and in reflection with nature and other transcendentalist ideals.
Emerson settled in a town called Concord, Massachusetts, and later his friends Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller and other followers of his ideology also met there. For this reason, Concord is considered the cradle of transcendentalism.
What is transcendentalism
Transcendentalism, also called “American Transcendentalism”, is an ideology that at the time was a challenge and a critique of the beliefs of American society in the early 19th century, especially the Unitarian theology that was popular at the time and the situation political and social of the country.
As its name indicates, transcendentalism comes from the word “transcendental”, which, in turn, is formed by the Latin root trans , which means “beyond natural limits”; and the word scandere , which means “to climb”. In this way, transcendental is something that goes beyond the natural limits. This refers to the belief that the human is a divine being in himself, who has an intrinsic relationship with himself and nature. Transcendentalism, therefore, is to rediscover that knowledge, that connection through introspection, self-observation and trust in the best human attributes.
Transcendentalism is the awareness that knowledge of oneself and of the world transcends, that is, it goes beyond what our senses perceive and what is material. Therefore, the best way to achieve fulfillment, to be happy and useful in society, is to be self-aware, pay attention to the self, and look within for the answers.
In addition to an ideology, transcendentalism is a lifestyle in which the individual follows their own conscience and intuition, is guided by their heart and their positive emotions, and lives in harmony with nature. Only through self-knowledge and internal transformation can everything else be changed.
This conception of transcendentalism is very similar to something we currently know as mindfulness or “full attention.” In fact, like mindfulness , transcendentalism also had influences from Hinduism and some Eastern philosophies.
Characteristics of transcendentalism
Transcendentalism differed from other philosophical currents mainly by the following characteristics:
- Individualism: He believed in the innate goodness of the human being and in his individual character, his independence and his self-sufficiency, as well as in his great potential.
- Transcendental knowledge: placed an emphasis on the importance of being guided by consciousness at all times; the intuition; and the best human qualities.
- He affirmed that the human being is divine, as well as nature and everything that surrounds us.
- He supported the human being’s ability to choose based on the heart and not on impositions or pre-established rules.
- Importance of nature: it highlighted the connection between nature and human beings and, therefore, their union with other people and the universe.
- It was a philosophy suitable for all, regardless of race, gender, creed, status or purchasing power, free of ritual and the pressure of religious institutions.
- He admitted that society and institutions had disconnected the human being from his essence and therefore considered that he should reconnect with himself.
The most prominent transcendentalists
As Emerson’s ideas became more popular, transcendentalism became more prominent in the philosophical, cultural, and literary realms. Some writers and intellectuals of the time organized into what later became known as “The Transcendental Club” and met often in Concord, Massachusetts, at the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as at the home of George Ripley in Boston. .
In the 1840s, the Transcendentalists founded The Dial magazine, and Margaret Fuller was its editor for four years. There they published their own works, transmitted their ideology, and supported various popular causes such as women’s rights, workers’ rights, and the abolition of slavery.
Although many people were transcendentalists, there are four of them who are considered the highest referents of transcendentalism, since they promoted this ideology through their life and work.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Without a doubt, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) is the central figure of transcendentalism. He was an essayist, philosopher, poet, and lecturer. He studied at Harvard and there he began to publish his first works, such as The American Academician (1837), where he urged people to stop copying and repeating the European and to seek their own identity.
His most important essay, Nature , launched the principles of transcendentalism. Emerson also published other essays such as Self-sufficiency (1841); Circles (1841); Experience (1844); he also gave more than 1,500 talks in the United States on his philosophy.
Emerson came from a religious family, and in fact was himself a Unitarian minister; however, he was banishing his beliefs and changing them for the ideas of individuality, freedom and the ability of the human being to be able to achieve everything he desires.
His works quickly caught the attention of other thinkers of the time and greatly influenced several of them. In particular, he was a friend and mentor to one of his followers, the also transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau.
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an essayist, poet, and philosopher. Thoreau was born and raised in Concord, the place where Emerson would later settle.
Among Thoreau’s contributions, his interest in social and political reform through nonviolence stands out. His essay Civil Disobedience , originally titled Resistance to Civil Government, was published in 1849. This work sparked debates about the role of government and civil responsibility and later influenced other famous people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy, and Martin Luther. King Jr.
His most famous work, Walden , was published in 1854 and was based on Thoreau’s own experience, over the course of two years, two months and two days, in which he lived in a cabin he built himself on the shores of Walden Lake. , on Emerson land. During that time, Thoreau pondered and reflected on the possibility of living a simple life in nature.
Thoreau promoted with his lifestyle several of the modern concepts, such as sustainability, sustainability and the preservation and care of the environment.
Margaret Fuller
Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli (1810-1850), known simply as Margaret Fuller, was an American journalist, editor, translator, and transcendentalist. She was also a major activist for women’s rights and editor of The Dial , which during her tenure was one of the most influential magazines of the time.
Fuller also began giving classes and speaking to women, aware that most suffered from a lack of access to higher education. Her book De ella Nineteenth Century Women , published in 1843, is one of the country’s earliest feminist works.
Margaret Fuller used to spend some time in the Emerson household, along with Henry David Thoreau and other transcendentalists, and was considered the most cultured of them all.
George Ripley
George Ripley (1802-1880) was a journalist, literary critic, and Unitarian minister who met Emerson in 1836 and thereafter organized a series of meetings of various Transcendentalists at his home in Boston, Massachusetts. Some of the more notable members included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Amos Bronson Alcott, Henry James, and Sophia Ripley, among others. This group was later called the Transcendental Club.
One of George Ripley’s most important contributions was the founding of the Brook Farm utopian community in the town of West Roxbury, Massachusetts. This experiment lasted from 1841 to 1847 and had the objective of creating a union between its members, through manual and intellectual work in a natural environment, far from consumerism. Although this experience did not prove profitable, it was another of the practical ways in which transcendentalism was applied.
Other transcendentalists
Amos Bronson Alcott and Louisa May Alcott
Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-Boston-1888) was an American writer and educator.
Alcott was self-taught and later began teaching at various schools. In them he applied several of the transcendentalist ideals, such as inner knowledge and contact with nature, through his own teaching methods. He also forbade corporal punishment, a practice that was common in all schools, and instead encouraged dialogue with students.
Alcott was the father of the novelist and poet Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), who grew up immersed in the ideas of transcendentalism. Her work, Little Women (1868), is one of the classics of universal literature.
Like other transcendentalists, Louisa May Alcott was an activist who fought for the right to women’s suffrage, was in favor of the abolition of slavery and supported educational reforms.
walt whitman
Walter “Walt” Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. In addition to transcendentalism, Whitman also adhered to the realism movement. Within American poetry, he is considered the father of free verse.
His greatest poetic work, Leaves of Grass, was published in 1855 and was controversial for dealing with taboo subjects such as homosexuality. Although he respected all religions, he did not believe in any, and had his own beliefs, including the principles of transcendentalism.
Sources
- Vázquez, D. Transcendentalism as remedy and reaction . Le meow noir. Available here .
- Emerson, R.W. Nature . (2020). Spain. Nordic Books. Available here .
- Galbraith, P. The American transcendentalism documentary . Youtube. Available here .
- Lopez Above, P. (2021). Emerson and American Transcendentalism . Entreletras.eu. Available here .
