Transcendentalism

From Unawiki

Transcendentalism is an American philosophical movement that emerged in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England Region as a general protest against the general state of society and culture. It implies the goodness of man and nature and, consequently, brings out self-reliance and independence as a maxim of human existence. It has origins in Immanuel Kant’s transcendental philosophy and is close to the upcoming romanticism due to its mysticism and its appreciation of nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Nature” can be seen as a starting point. It calls for a revolution in human consciousness and new ideals of experiencing nature and environment (The Transparent Eye Ball). Henry David Thoreau lived in a cabin in the woods and wrote “Walden” about his life in the nature. Also experimental communities like ‘Fruitlands’ emerged that tried to be independent of external society. It is also close to the religion of Unitarianism.