Transcendentalism is a philosophy that began in the mid-19th century and whose founding members included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. It centres around the belief that spirituality cannot be achieved through reason and rationalism, but instead through self-reflection and intuition. In other words, transcendentalists believe spirituality is not something you can explain; it is something you feel. A transcendentalist would argue that going for a walk in a beautiful place would be a much more spiritual experience than reading a religious text. Some of the transcendentalist beliefs are: • Humans are inherently good • Society and its institutions such as organized religion and politics are corrupting. Instead of being part of them, humans should strive to be independent and self-reliant • Spirituality should come from the self, not organized religion • Insight and experience are more important than logic • Nature is beautiful, should be deeply appreciated, and should not be altered by humans Major Transcendentalist Values The transcendentalist movement encompassed many beliefs, but these all fit into their three main values of individualism, idealism, and the divinity of nature. • Emerson is the key figure in transcendentalism. He brought together many of the original transcendentalists, and his writings form the foundation of many of the movement’s beliefs. The day before he published his essay “Nature” he invited a group of his friends to join the “Transcendental Club” a meeting of like-minded individuals to discuss their beliefs. He continued to host club meetings, author essays, and give speeches to promote transcendentalism. Some of his most important transcendentalist essays include “The Over-Soul,” “Self-Reliance,” “The American Scholar” and “Divinity School Address.” • Whitman was not a Transcendentalist. He bridged the gap between Realism and Transcendentalism. Realism is a style of literature that focused on the life of the everyday, common, middle-class man or the “everyman.” It is a reaction to the works done in the romantic period. But Whitman took a lot from Emerson and Transcendentalism. He used a great deal of the same devises as Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller. Through his breadth of work, he has made wonderful use of subjective individualism, a sense of “communion” with nature, and the subject matter of some of his poems is strongly naturalistic. Both Emerson and Whitman were prolific writers, and examples abound of transcendentalism quotes, essays, books, and more. Below are the example of their transcendentalist works, as well as which of the transcendentalist beliefs they support. 1. “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson: Emerson authored this essay in 1841 to share his views on the issue of, you guessed it, self-reliance. Throughout the essay he discusses the importance of individuality and how people must avoid the temptation to conform to society at the expense of their true selves. It also contains the excellent line “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” 2. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman: Published in 1855, the first edition of Leaves of Grass included twelve untitled poems. Whitman was a fan of Emerson’s and was thrilled when the latter highly praised his work. The poems contain many transcendentalism beliefs, including an appreciation of nature, individualism, and spirituality.