Transcendentalism - An Intellectual Movement

Transcendentalism - An Intellectual Movement

1. Transcendentalists talks about Individual’s relation with Nature. What is Nature for you? Share your views.

First , we will have look upon the idea of Transcendental Movement. This movement was an American movement. Which started in 1830s. As we are aware that during this time in the England there was the time of Romanticism and Romantics were blooming. At that time in the America this Transcendentalism was arise in the same way.

All the figures of Transcendentalism made a club of Transcendentalists. In that, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Walt Whitman, these four were the core members of this group. Excepting those these are included, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and James Freeman Clarke, as well as George Ripley, Bronson Alcott, the younger W.E. Channing, and W.H. Channing.

These people were very against to the puritans who believe such orthodoxies which can be rigid to the people. Puritans were so religious. They think that anyone who does not believe what they are believing will go to hell. Transcendentalists were think that just because you are telling us something we would not accept it.

“Emerson’s church consist of one member – that is HIMSELF” – MS Olcott Benson.

This line is the core philosophy of Transcendentalism. They were against to religion and they thought that religion is very subjective. Transcendentalists always prefer religion as a subjective. And also they believe that there should not be any rules to know the God. Often times we feel that our intuitions can be right in our routine life. Rather than the reasons.

Power of emotion and intuition

Transcendentalist believe that if you want know divine, you can know only though emotions and your intuition power, not though reason. There is no role for brain to know about it.

Championed individualism

They believe that individualism is spiritual centre of the universe. Emerson in his essay he said that man is not farmer, or a professor , or engineer, but he is all. They prefer the individual presence in society.

Soul’s connection with God

It is very simple to get that the every soul is connected to the God. And by that idea we all are connected. If we look into the deep in things we can see clearly that everything is connected to each other very smoothly. When we study the lose of nature we can come to know the lose of our self in same way. In this way we can study ourselves by studying nature. So, we can say that Transcendentalism has very root connection to the nature. They say that beauty is all around us and nearer but we have to just need to realize. We need to discover ourselves in our everyday life and connect it to soul. Then they talk about individual, there they says that you do not need to look at society that how society will think of me, but we should care about the relationships with our soul and nature. And our relationship with the God.

Here, We can see the quotes of Transcendentalists and from that we can get to know how they have given the ideas about the connection of soul and selves to nature and spirituality. Transcendentalists found the magazine named, "Dail Magazine". In that they published the literary works which were influenced by the theory of trancendentalism.

Now , if I can say about nature that what is the nature for me is, every time we don’t feel the same thriller when we see the various aspects of nature. Nature has it’s own peace which can be feel in a very individual way to everyone. The urban life is creating the race of thoughts in our mind and it can be hectic to us. When we want peace we simply choose to go to nature to heal our panic soul. In every aspects of nature there is such uniqueness to look at.

2.)Transcendentalism is an American Philosophy that influenced American Literature at length. Can you find any Indian/Regional literature or Philosophy came up with such similar thought?

One thing can remember here that the theory of Vasudhaiva kutumbakam. Where they are talking as, अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। (ayaṃ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā

laghucetasām)

उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥ (udāracaritānāṃ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam)

Meaning is that all men and women are members of the family of world.

In another way I can say that nature has create us as per Indian philosophy that is five elements theory. We , the humans body, just like the entire universe, is made up of the five elements Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. This theory has purpose intended as an explanation of the nature and all matter by breaking it down into simpler substances.

From this video you can get more idea about the movement Transcendentalism.

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