Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
List of unsolved problems in philosophy wikipedia , lookup
Women in philosophy wikipedia , lookup
Transactionalism wikipedia , lookup
History of philosophy in Poland wikipedia , lookup
Philosophical progress wikipedia , lookup
Rationalism wikipedia , lookup
Marx's theory of human nature wikipedia , lookup
Metaphysics wikipedia , lookup
Perennial philosophy wikipedia , lookup
TRANSCENDENTALISM What is transcendentalism? • A philosophical movement that sought to have individuals “transcend” to a higher spiritual level • To achieve this goal, the individual had to seek spiritual, not material, greatness and essential truths of life through intuition • The focus in on the human spirit • A philosophy that is interested in the natural world and its relationship to humanity Transcendentalism continued • There is a need to explore nature thoroughly, by doing this man can come to know himself • As a result of exploration, man discovers that the human spirit is reflected in nature. • A philosophy that seeks a life in harmony with nature • A philosophy that feels that nature is symbolic of the inner man (nature/man are the same) • A philosophy that rebels against the material world and organized religion Transcendentalism continued • Ideas become more important than things • A philosophy that believes in individualism • A philosophy that feels that imitation is suicide • A philosophy that believes that all forms of being-God, nature, and humanity- are spiritually united through a shared universal soul or Over-Soul. Background of philosophy • The ideas for this philosophy come from the Greeks (Plato) • Writers Dante, Shakespeare, Milton World religions Hindus, Christians European philosophers Kant (German)-understanding through intuition Pascal (French)-mathematician/moralist Swedenborg (Swedish)-scientist/mystic Albert Bierstadt White Mountains, New Hampshire, 1863 Duke University Museum of Art Concepts of transcendentalism can be found in the discussion of nature. • • • • • • • How are you affected by nature? Do you find comfort in it? Do you see the moods of nature? What is the role of nature in your life? What is meant by an individual’s spiritual side? How would you define it? Is there a connection between the individual’s spirit and nature? • What is the connection? • What does it mean to know something intuitively? Transcendentalism in America • “From 1840-1855, literature in American experienced a rebirth call the New England Renaissance. Through their poetry, short stories, novels, and other works, writers during this period established a clear American voice. No longer did they see their work as less influential then that of European authors. Transcendentalism was part of this ‘flowering’ of American literature” (Webster, 3). Ralph Waldo Emerson http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_.../Emerson_Ralph_Waldo.htm From Nature Understanding Transcendentalism • Emerson essay embodies some of the most important principles of Transcendentalism. Three of these principles are • A. There is a human spirit that is able to intuit the fundamental truths of the universe. • B. The human spirit is reflected in nature. • C. All forms of being are spiritually united. Henry David Thoreau http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_7.../Thoreau_Henry_David.htm From Walden