transcendentalism

[ tran-sen-den-tl-iz-uhm, -suhn- ]

noun

1. transcendental character, thought, or language.
2. Also called transcendental philosophy. any philosophy based upon the doctrine that the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought, or a philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical: in the U.S., associated with Emerson.

transcendentalism

/ ˌtrænsɛnˈdɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. 1. any system of philosophy, esp that of Kant, holding that the key to knowledge of the nature of reality lies in the critical examination of the processes of reason on which depends the nature of experience
   2. any system of philosophy, esp that of Emerson, that emphasizes intuition as a means to knowledge or the importance of the search for the divine
2. vague philosophical speculation
3. the state of being transcendental
4. something, such as thought or language, that is transcendental

transcendentalism

1. A movement in nineteenth-century American literature and thought. It called on people to view the objects in the world as small versions of the whole universe and to trust their individual intuitions. The two most noted American transcendentalists were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau .

Derived Forms

• ˌtranscenˈdentalist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• transcen·dental·ist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of transcendentalism¹

From the German word Transcendentalismus, dating back to 1795–1805. See transcendental, -ism

Example Sentences

I had gotten into transcendentalism as an idea in high school.

From Los Angeles Times

A big chunk of Rudhyar’s unpublished 1938 treatise on the art, which positions the sometimes esoteric features of transcendentalism as a spiritual bulwark against rising international fascism and communism, is included.

From Los Angeles Times

And if it was easy to snicker at “Avatar’s” hippy-dippy sincerity, it was also easy to surrender to its multiplex transcendentalism, its world of synthetically crafted natural wonders.

From Los Angeles Times

With its scepticism of religion but openness to humanistic wonder, awe of nature, celebration of the individual and recognition of the power of physical law, the narrative has a strong whiff of transcendentalism.

From Nature

With that too was all the a mixture between Tom Brown, primitive survival books and enormous amount of Emerson and transcendentalism and through the whole dial in the whole world.

From Salon

More About Transcendentalism

What is transcendentalism?

Transcendentalism was a philosophical and literary movement that arose in the United States in the 1800s. Transcendentalism emphasizes a person’s individual spirituality and the importance of nature and encourages a frugal lifestyle.

Some of the major authors that were part of the transcendentalist movement include Ralph Walo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. The movement began in Concord, Massachusetts, during the 1830s. It became an official group after Emerson and three other Harvard University graduates formed the Transcendental Club in September 1836.

The importance of individuality is a major belief of transcendentalism. The transcendentalists believed that human beings were born good, but society and institutions corrupted their souls. They argued that humans needed to return to nature and would become spiritually enlightened through an independent, frugal life lived in nature. This is argued in both Emerson’s Nature (1836) and Thoreau’s Walden (1854).

The transcendentalists also held strong beliefs about many social causes. Emerson was unhappy with the treatment of Native Americans, Fuller was an outspoken feminist who anlayzed women’s role in society her 1845 book Woman in the Ninteenth Century, and Thoreau was vehemently opposed to slavery and strongly argued for peacefully protesting the government.

Transcendentalism would slowly begin to fade in the 1850s after Fuller’s death in a shipwreck.

Why is transcendentalism important?

The first records of the term transcendentalism come from around 1795. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb trānscendere, meaning “to surmount.” The English verb transcend also comes from this word, and the transcendentalists believed in a divine insight that “transcended” the five human senses.

Many of the works of transcendentalism are critical essays and spiritual poetry rather than narrative stories. The transcendentalists often tried to organize communities in nature to practice transcendentalism but were ultimately unsuccessful.

The most famous of these attempts was Henry David Thoreau’s living in a log cabin for over two years at Walden Pond. Thoreau lived off the land and spent most of his time writing, observing nature, and meditating. The journal that Thoreau kept during his time in the cabin became Walden, a collection of essays detailing Thoreau’s experiences.

Did you know … ?

One of the more well-known critics of transcendentalism was author Edgar Allen Poe. He mockingly referred to them as “Frogpondians” (a term he also used to mock the people of Boston) in his 1841 short story “Never Bet the Devil Your Head.”

What are real-life examples of transcendentalism?

Today, transcendentalism is most remembered for the literature written by its believers.

I am in the middle of the woods completely alone. This tweet is my Walden. I am live-tweeting transcendentalism.

— Jason Shebiro (@shebiro) November 16, 2014

 

What other words are related to transcendentalism?

• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Margaret Fuller
• Henry David Thoreau
• Walden Pond
• intuition
• nature
• Unitarian

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

Transcendentalism places a high importance on nature and your own self-reflection.