American
Transcendentalism
…A pragmatic philosophy
…A state of mind
…A form of spirituality
Basic Assumptions
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The individual is the spiritual center of the
universe
An understanding of nature, history and
God can be found in the individual
All knowledge begins with self knowledge
Basic Assumptions
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Nature is a living mystery, filled with
symbolism
Individual happiness depends on selfrealization
– To know and become one with the world and
nature
– To remain unique and separate
Fundamental Beliefs
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Transcendentalism is a form of idealism
Transcendentalism was influenced by:
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Puritanism
Quaker beliefs
Unitarianism
Romanticism
Fundamental Beliefs
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Transcendentalism rises about the
animalistic impulses of life
Transcendentalism moves from the
rational to the spiritual realm
The individual human soul is part of the
Divine Soul or Oversoul
Every individual is part of the Oversoul
Fundamental Beliefs
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The Oversoul is interchangeable with God
God is found in nature and in human
nature
Life is more important than afterlife
Death is not feared – the soul passes to the
Oversoul in death
Fundamental Beliefs
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Evil is merely the absence of good
Good is much more powerful than evil
Power is obtained through self-reliance
Consistency is not valued
There is a unity between all things in the
universe
True reform comes from within
Influences of
Transcendentalism
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Plato introduced idealism, which teaches that
reality exists beyond the appearances of the
world
Immanuel Kant supported the importance of the
natural spontaneity of the human mind
John Locke introduced the concept of the mind
as a tabula rasa (blank slate), and that all
knowledge develops from sensations