An Introduction to Transcendentalism

1. TranscendentalismTranscendentalism
A literary, intellectual and artisticA literary, intellectual and artistic
movement behind the Americanmovement behind the American
RenaissanceRenaissance

2. OverviewOverview
• What was Unitarianism?
• How Unitarianism led to
Transcendentalism
• What Emerson believed
• Influence of Transcendentalism

3. UnitarianismUnitarianism
• Unitarianism emerged as an effect of
Enlightenment philosophy on Christianity
– Unitarians rejected doctrine of the Trinity
• 1785 first Unitarian church in Boston
• By 1815 majority of Congregational
churches in Boston became Unitarian.

4. Unitarianism cont.Unitarianism cont.
• Attempted to take a rational, scientific
approach to religion, similar to Deism
– Jesus was a man, not God
– Christianity must be a way of life, not just
abstract doctrines
– 5 key statements of faith
• Fatherhood of God, Brotherhood of man,
leadership of Jesus, salvation by character,
progress of mankind.

5. Unitarian beliefsUnitarian beliefs
• Humans are brothers and should treat each other as
such. Sins are offenses against human relationships.
• Man is imperfect but should strive toward self-
improvement.
• Bible is only one source of truth and written by humans-
tried to read it ethically
• Church is a human institution and no one church is the
only right one.
• Baptism and communion are memorials to Jesus, not
required sacraments to achieve salvation

6. Reaction to UnitarianismReaction to Unitarianism
• Calvinists— Unitarians are too heretical to
be considered Christian
• Became popular in Boston among elite
classes
• Easier psychologically than Puritan soul-
searching and threats of hell.
• Ministers enjoyed textual criticism of the
Bible

7. Second wave 1819-1865Second wave 1819-1865
• New movement led by William Ellery
Channing
• Considered old version too cold, wanted to
add emotion, poetry etc.
• Three key ideas
– God is all loving and is everywhere
– Presence of God in every man, so man is
divine
– True worship of God= good will to others

8. TranscendentalismTranscendentalism
• 2nd
wave of Unitarianism was related to
literary, artistic and philosophical
movement that was centered in New
England
• Transcendentalism can also be viewed as
the American version of Romanticism

9. Transcendentalism andTranscendentalism and
RomanticismRomanticism
• Feeling is more important than reason
• Individual more important than society
• Overthrow custom—don’t be a slave to
tradition
• Delight in nature
• Unlike British and German romanticism—
transcendentalism had more of a moral,
philosophical tone

10. What was Transcendentalism?What was Transcendentalism?
• Not a fully articulated philosophical system
– Relied on “fuzzy mysticism”
– Emphasized presence of God in nature and
divine potential in man
– Called young to overthrow custom and live
new lives
– Some say it has some of the intensity of
Calvinism except assumption is man is good

11. EmersonEmerson
• Was a Unitarian minister—but resigned
• Traveled to Europe—met romantic
thinkers like Coleridge and Carlyle
• In series of essays and lectures (Nature,
“American Scholar,” “Divinity School
Address” and “Self-Reliance”) he sketched
out beliefs of Transcendentalism

12. OversoulOversoul
• One of his key ideas is that there is an all
pervading spiritual essence that animates
all things= Oversoul
• Oversoul is good, so universe is moral
• Nature is a kind of Bible
• Paradox harder we try to be individuals,
closer we will all come to the same ideal
point

13. Absence of EvilAbsence of Evil
• Emerson argued evil did not exist
• What appears to be evil is the absence of
good
• Doctrine of compensation—all apparent
evil is balanced by some act of goodness.
All gains are balanced by some kind of
loss and vice versa
• Looked to nature for example of unity-in
dualism

14. Absence of evil?Absence of evil?
• Emerson thought that if people were true
to themselves they would inevitably do
good.
• Skeptics worried that many people would
not choose to follow their consciences or
lacked consciences.
• Darker Transcendentalists like Hawthorne
and Melville found Emerson too optimistic

15. Influence of TranscendentalismInfluence of Transcendentalism
• Transcendentalism was belief of a small
influential group—ridiculed in the
mainstream press
• Mainly stayed in Boston, but inspired
some reformers
• In distorted form, ideas could be used to
justify greed, expansionism, lack of
concern for the oppressed, justification for
pursuing selfish interests