Transcendentalism :
Transcendentalism Continuity exists between man, nature, and God, or the divine – the Oversoul.
What is beyond nature is revealed through nature; nature is itself a symbol, or an indication of a deeper reality.Matter and spirit are not opposed but reflect a critical unity of experience.
Emerson is an Idealist philosopher - plan always precedes action.
In the individual can be discovered all truths, all experience.
Reason vs. Understanding :
Reason vs. Understanding What do you think of when you hear the word “Reason”?
What do you think of when you hear the word “Understanding”?
Think like a transcendentalist!! :
Think like a transcendentalist!! In transcendentalism, Reason is your intuition (what you know is true in your gut).
Understanding is your knowledge of a subject.
Emerson does not explain: he proclaims --- he announces!
How are announcing and explaining different?
Read “The Snow Storm”
Emerson and Individualism :
Emerson and Individualism For Emerson, the individual is the world!
Imitation is suicide
Man must change his mind constantly --“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
You do not need someone to tell you the truth. It exists inside of you and in nature.
For the individual, the religious experience must be direct and unmediated by texts, traditions, or personality.
Central to defining Emerson’s contribution to American thought is his emphasis on non-conformity that had so profound an effect on Thoreau.
Self-reliance and independence of thought are fundamental to Emerson’s perspective in that they are the practical expressions of the central relation between the self and the infinite.
To trust oneself and follow our inner promptings corresponds to the highest degree of consciousness.
Now read “Self-Reliance.” :
Now read “Self-Reliance.” As we read, write down the sentences you find to be the most applicable to your lives.
Is what Emerson proclaims true for you?
Did you need Emerson to tell you, or did it already exist within you?