Transcendentalism is an American movement from the early nineteenth century that delves into politics, religion, philosophy, and politics. It was pioneered by figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Chris McCandless among others. Transcendentalists believed that a new era was coming, which required a newer way of thinking - one that didn't conform to suppressive norms promoted by governmental, religious or cultural institutions. By the 1840s, the Transcendentalists began conducting various social experiments and just a decade later, they emerged as one of the first groups to openly criticize slavery in America.

Origin

This part of the essay briefly explores how transcendentalism came to be. The roots of transcendentalism as we know today were sampled from a religious movement known as 'unitarianism', formed by liberals among the New England Congregationalists. However, transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson were critical of Unitarianists because the latter still believed in the existence of a God as portrayed by Christian scripture. While transcendentalists admired the utilitarian belief that human beings could become more like God, they disagreed on the idea that the bible provided evidence for the truth of religion and God. Transcendentalists needed objective, scientific proof rather than empirical evidence to believe in religion.

Characteristics

A Skeptic Eye Towards Religion

One of the hallmarks of transcendentalism is skepticism about religion, which was primarily influenced by two main German publications that had made their way to America during the early nineteenth century. The first one about transcendentalism was F. D. E. Schleiermacher’s 'Critical Essay Upon the Gospel of St. Luke' which suggested that religion was a product of humans rather than an objective truth. The second, Johann Gottfried von Herder’s Spirit of Hebrew Poetry, drew similarities between man-made poetry and religious scripture, indicating that the text found in the bible could have easily been written by humans.

It was publications like this that led Emerson to write questioningly: "Why should we not have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a religion by revelation to us, and not the history of theirs"

Deep Criticism Of Society And Politics

From the very beginning, transcendentalists harboured a great distaste for society, describing it as a 'mass' of 'bugs'. In his book 'Walden', Thoreau describes people participating in society as slavedrivers of themselves. Opinions like this made alternative lifestyles (free from the bonds of society and its rules) very attractive to transcendentalists.

Transcendentalists remained highly critical of the United States government, condemning slavery, the appalling treatment of Native Americans and the war with Mexico. Emerson even wrote a letter to the then-President Martin Van Buren, expressing his disgust at the way Native Americans were harassed and driven out of their lands. Emerson wrote: "how could we call the conspiracy that should crush these poor Indians our government, or the land that was cursed by their parting and dying imprecations our country, anymore?"

Embracing German Philosophy

Transcendentalists embraced German philosophy like the works of Kant and post-Kantians. Henry Hedge, an American who had been schooled in German at the age of thirteen and an ordained minister, played a part in introducing the 'transcendental philosophies' of Kant to Emerson and other transcendentalists. He helped Emerson create the Transcendental Club which was a discussion group for discontent, restless youth in the unitarian clergy.

Holding Nature In The Highest Regard

Nature is given an important role in transcendentalism. This is because one of the primary goals of the movement is getting closer to nature. After all, it teaches one to detach from material things and societal norms. Transcendentalists believe that by abandoning rules, responsibilities, and competition and returning to nature, you can gain a more objective perspective of life.

Spreading the Message

Transcendentalists relied primarily on publications to spread their ideas and philosophies. They had several publishing outlets including 'The Christian Examiner', 'The Western Messenger' and 'The Dial'. The latter was created by the Transcendental Club itself with Margaret Fuller as the editor for all but the last two years of its existence.

The Dial published many pieces of writing including Fuller's book 'The Great Lawsuit' which promoted feminist concepts. The publication also released prose and poetry written by Emerson as well as some of the early works of his friend Henry David Thoreau. Once Emerson succeeded Fuller as the Editor in 1842, he published a series of English translations of Indian and Chinese philosophies which he dubbed 'Ethical Scriptures'.

Transcendentalism, pioneered by activists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller, promotes the idea that people shouldn’t become their own slave drivers, flogging their own body and mind to remain within the bounds of a close-minded society and culture. Transcendentalism seeks to embrace German philosophy and do away with societal and political influences that constrain a person. The movement also supports the idea of becoming closer to nature to attain a more objective perspective on life and to let go of one’s materialism.