Tullos 1
Honors English 11
Christian Tullos
10/03/15
Transcendentalism
Man is a unique creation. What separates him from every other creature on
earth are his questions: Why am I here? Where am I going? What purpose do I have? Is
there a greater power? Is there truth? Through history man searched for answers to
many deep questions. Many religions, beliefs, and philosophies have been established in
hope to answer man’s questions. Transcendentalism is one of these philosophies.
The Transcendental movement sprouted in New England around 1836. The
leaders of the movement were Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Ralph Waldo
Emerson. The members and leaders of Transcendentalism met in the Boston home of
George Ripely. Though the members were loosely connected, they considered Emerson
their leader.
“What lies behind you, and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what
lies inside of you?” (Ralph Emerson) This lies at the heart of their philosophy. Truth,
spirituality, and peace can be found inside of a man; they just need to be unlocked.
Transcendentalism hinges on the belief that man in naturally good.
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The crux of Transcendentalism is the issue of the origin of truth.
Transcendentalism itself is a philosophy which says that man’s knowledge of reality
comes from an analysis of his own thought process. In essence: truth comes from inside
man. Transcendentalism, being influenced by Romanticism, places emphasis on emotion
and feeling as the sources of truth. Transcendentalists attained their name because of
their method of enrichment. Stemming from the belief that emotions are the key to
unlocking the truth within, members try to transcend the distractions of the world to
become one with themselves.
Similar to the Christian belief that the Holy Spirit lives in people,
Transcendentalists believe that all men have a piece of the “Over-soul” living inside of
them. This belief contributes to the lack of a need for organized Church-like gatherings
among them. If all men contain the “Over-soul,” they are connected in spirit, which
negates the need for shallower physical connections.
As the very nature of a Transcendentalist’s views on truth is relative and
determined by the individual, Transcendentalists have a difficult time defining what
their core beliefs. The lack of a unifying vision also hindered the cohesion of the
movement. Henry David Thoreau himself pointed out the difficulty of understanding
Transcendentalism in his popular journal entry for March 5, 1853:
The secretary of the Association for the Advancement of Science requests me . . . to fill
the blank against certain questions, among which the most important one was what
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brancscience I was specially interested in . . . I felt that it would be to make myself the laughingstockof the scientific community to describe to them that branch of
science which specially interests me, inasmuch as they do not believe in a science which
deals with the higher law. So I was obliged to speak to their condition and describe to
them that poor part of me which alone they can understand. The fact is I am a mystic, a
transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot. Now that I think of it, I should have
told them at once that I was a transcendentalist. That would have been the shortest way
of telling them that they would not understand my explanations.
Transcendentalism clearly eluded succinct definition in Thoreau's time as much as it
does in our own.
Even Emerson had difficulty explaining his beliefs. Transcendentalism fractured
into many beliefs and practices. Some of the questions posed to Emerson regarded the
purpose and outlook. What was the goal that they strove for in themselves and society?
In his 1842 lecture "The Transcendentalist,” Emerson suggested that the goal of a purely
transcendental outlook on life was impossible to attain in practice:
You will see by this sketch that there is no such thing as a transcendental party;
that there is no pure transcendentalist; that we know of no one but prophets and heralds
of such a philosophy; that all who by strong bias of nature have leaned to the spiritual
side in doctrine, have stopped short of their goal. We have had many harbingers and
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forerunners; but of a purely spiritual life, history has afforded no example. I mean, we
have yet no man who has leaned entirely on his character, and eaten angels' food; who,
trusting to his sentiments, found life made of miracles; who, working for universal aims,
found himself fed, he knew not how; clothed, sheltered, and weaponed, he knew not
how, and yet it was done by his own hands. ...Shall we say, then, that transcendentalism
is the Saturnalia excess of Faith; the presentiment of a faith proper to man in his
integrity, excessive only when his imperfect obedience hinders the satisfaction of his
wish.
In some ways Emerson is running around the question. He is stating that no
transcendentalist has achieved perfection. That none has fully submitted to the truth
within and have fallen short of his goals for which he strives. Yet he fails to state the
goal of Transcendentalism or define it in specifically.
All actions come from beliefs. Beliefs are formed out of philosophy and
philosophy flows from what a person believes to be true. As Luke 6:45(b) states: Out of
the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The truths a man stores in his heart are
revealed in the way he acts. Every religion, belief, or philosophy will influence a man’s
outlook on like as well as his actions. Transcendentalism lacks the basic principles of a
moral and spiritual standard. It attempts to provide clarity, a sense of truth, but cannot
even provide the true definition of itself. In its own confusion many people have taken
an idea here or there and run with it. Individuals use Transcendentalism as a basis for
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moral relativism. This tool allows individuals to become their own higher power, their
own authority, they own “Over-soul”.
Emerson and the others in his party attempted to free the minds of men, but
achieved the opposite. In searching for clarity, they kicked up a bunch of dust. Even with
all Emerson’s intellect, he still failed to see what Isaiah 53:6 says: Those who rely on
their own intuition and “good sense” to lead them to spiritual truth will find themselves
being led astray. In trying to be wise, Emerson became the fool.
Transcendentalism Bibliography
Honors English 11
Christian Tullos
1. Miller Perry. The American Transcendentalists: Their Prose and Poetry. Garden City: Double
Day Anchor Books, 1957.
2. Lewis Jone. Transcendentalism. http://www.transcendentalists.com/what.htm 10/02/15.
3. U.S. History. Copyright 2008-2014. http://www.ushistory.org/us/26f.asp. 10/05/15.
4. Goodman Russel. Transcendentalism. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentalism/.
Revised in 2015. 10/03/15.