TRANSCENDENTALISM: Pre- learning task

This blog is a pre-learning task and self-reading of transcendentalism assigned by Vaidehi Hariyani ma’am. In this blog I have written a brief understanding of Transcendentalism and assigned answers.

What is Transcendental Movement or Transcendentalism?

Lets begin with Literal meaning of the word;

Transcendent means beyond or above the range of normal or physical human experience.

In reference to philosophy Transcendence means climbing or going beyond

Transcendental means relating to a spiritual realm

Transcendentalism:

It is an idealistic philosophical and social movement which developed in New England around 1836 in reaction to rationalism. Influenced by romanticism, Platonism, and Kantian philosophy, it taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held progressive views on feminism and communal living. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were central figures.

There are two positions in pillars of transcendentalism: a General position or specific position also known as New England transcendentalism or American Transcend transcendentalism here that discuss a General position of Science and intelligence.

Majorly transcendentalism is the belief in entities that transcend senses/ experience, in other words things, which in principle cannot be experienced by the senses. While there is General agreement on this broad definition of transcendental there is some disagreement as to which entities can be classified as transcendental.

For Example: Gods are often taken as an example of something that someone might believe exist without senses/ experience of it. If you believe that at least one God exists but it is impossible to sense then you are transcendentalist about God. However if you believe in religious experience; people are able to see or hear your God whether Prophet or religious leader you are not a transcendentalist about Gods.

Plato’s forms are a relatively- non controversial transcendental entity. They are perfect abstract and changing concepts which are outside of our space and time. therefore they cannot be experience directly so believe in the form is a kind of transcendentalism

The objection of transcendentalism-

Transcendentalists have the challenge of demonstrating why a particular sense experience provides justification for believing in something which cannot be observed. Given that the object itself cannot be observed, we are under determined as to what the actual underlying cause of the sense experience is. Skeptics use such functions to doubt the existence of all ranges of objects as we do not experience them directly and there is no way for us to determine if that standing experience is being caused by an object or by a simulation.

The major three characteristics of Transcendentalist is:

1. Individualism,
2. Idealism and 
3. The divinity of nature.

Transcendentalists have great appreciation and gratitude for nature. We see that the transcendental movement began in the 19th century, the period in which industrialisation increased and the people started being capitalist. Charles Dickens' novel ‘The hard times: for these Times’ clearly suggests the ideology of the people, emotions have no place. the Imaginary town Coketowm whether there was smoke all around and water canal with ill- smell and purple in colour. So the core Idea of transcendentalism was to conserve this disturb nature.

In ‘Summer on the Lakes’ 1843, Margaret Fuller noted that "the noble trees are gone already from this island to feed this caldron" and In Walden, 1854 Thoreau regards the trains which are beginning to spread across America's landscape as a "winged horse or fiery dragon" that "sprinkle[s] all the restless men and floating merchandise in the country for seed"

Transcendentalists talk about individuals' relation with Nature. What is Nature for you? Share your views. [This is our first assigned Question]

Nature is peace, inner happiness to me. Nature has two sides: creative (beautiful) and destructive. Whenever I look at neutral elements like sky, flowers or even an insect it provides me a soothing effect. It draws me out of all my restlessness. It gives no stress, no thoughts it just attracts through its beauty and brings a barely noticeable smile. And the other side of nature brings great surprise,the water we drink to live is killing us! The star we love to stare is falling to destroy us! This amazement too helps me a lot to come out of personal feelings. Watching a lake water's movement while enjoying the breeze helps me to meet myself. So in short for me nature is a helper to bring me out to stressful and busy life and help me to meet myself.

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

First of all we will see what was the ideology and understanding of the transcendentalists to start this movement. They believed in the philosophy of unity of all creation and goodness of humanity. Everything is a reflection of god, Physical world is a doorway to the spiritual world. People can use intuition to see God in nature and their souls. A person is their own best authority, Feeling and intuition are superior to reason and intellect.

The idea like goodness of humanity, physical world doorway to spiritual world, person itself a best authority connects us directly to the Indian Philosophy of ‘Karma’- One reaps what one sows. This theory takes us to an idea of being true and good to everyone and everything in nature which gives birth to human goodness and if one is true and ethical he’ she can feel the spiritual clean world on the earth itself because they haven't done anything wrong nothing wrong will happen to them.

We also have an Indian philosophy of ‘Paramatma is present in every object’. God is present everywhere, it is omnipresent which can be connected to the idea that everything is connected with god.

It was a little tough to combine transcendentalism with Indian Philosophy. If you find any Philosophy connection to transcendentalism please comment below.

Thank you for reading. I hope it was helpful to you.

[Words- 900]