"The Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson -an essay expressing Transcendentalist ideas

Definition of Transcendentalism
Like any period of time, which characterized by a specific culture and beliefs in any country; America witnessed some movements that changed the way of thinking of people in the 19^th century. Through these changes people developed their views that free them from slavery and strict orders. Philosophers start to react and work for the spread of a new way of thinking under the name of transcendentalism. Transcendentalists believed that God, man, and nature are interrelated to shape the concept of life¹.
Transcendentalism is an American legacy and a philosophical movement that happened in the United States of America during the 19^th century, it is a mixture of new ideas in literature, culture, religion, education and society. It took place during the1820s in the eastern United States and exactly in New England. It flourished from almost the mid 1830 to the 1860s and also viewed as a step toward the spiritual, and thus breaking the growing materialism of American society at the time.
Transcendentalism is an academic word that describes the idea that every man and woman should have knowledge about themselves and this knowledge should not be based on logic and science, but on intuition and imagination. In the early nineteenth century transcendentalism considered as a conventional movement of Unitarianism which was the dominant religion in Boston that believed in God and his unitary. Kurtz stated that:
The movement was rather conservative in its metaphysics and epistemology, but it was decidedly liberal in its morals and politics. It was fairly inchoate movement – literary, religious, political, and philosophical distinguishable more perhaps by what it opposed than by what it supported. (Kurtz 26).
In religion, transcendentalism was born out of religion, the idea of intellect that stated that mind and observation of nature would determine the existence of God. It began as a religious concept and radicalized in the minds, ideas and thoughts of American democracy. It is also represented an idealistic system of though such as strength, courage, self-confidence and independence and focused on the idea that man should be individual, the spiritual center of the universe and happiness depends on self-realization¹.
In politics, transcendentalism helped indirectly to build a strong policy and form many aspects of United States politics; it fulfilled great steps in affecting politicians and leaders through written work. The Dial is one of this works that helped to shape morals and ethics which really attracted the Politicians.
Moreover, literature played an important role in transcendentalism because most of transcendentalists began to express their ideas about transcendentalism, and wrote these thoughts in books such as Ralph Waldo Emerson who was the most famous transcendentalists at that time with his works; Nature, and Self-Reliance; Henry David Thoreau was another figure who wrote the famous Civil Disobedience. Both of these works affected people’s mind because it has shown the importance of transcendentalist philosophy.
Education also was one of the many reforms like transcendentalism that took place in the prewar period. During this period, reform in education was greatly influenced by ethics, morals, rationalism, idealism, patriotism, and among others.
In society, Transcendentalists believed that society was about conforming which focused on free thinking, independence and self-confidence. Transcendentalism is a new way of thinking that changed people’s ideas and the influences of life in the United States.
Among transcendentalist’s core beliefs was an ideal spiritual state that transcends the physical and empirical and only realized through the individual's intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established Religions. Prominent transcendentalists included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Orestes Bronson, William Henry Channing, James Freeman Clarke, Christopher PearseCranch, Convers Francis, Margaret Fuller, Frederick Henry Hedge, Elizabeth Peabody, George Ripley, Amos Bronson Alcott, and Jones Veer.
The Origin of Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism believed in many things like: the unity of God (all religions were expressions of the same faith). The divinity of man (man was God, guided by immanent spirit in himself) and the sanctity of nature.
Transcendentalism developed first among New England's united groups, who left Calvinist Orthodoxy on two sides: they believed in the importance and effectiveness of human endeavor, rather than the most destructive, perpetual image of inevitable human corruption; they emphasized in unity instead of the "Trinity" of God. Most atheists saw that Jesus was in some way inferior to God the Father but still greater than man, although he was endowed with special authority. The Unitarians preacher, William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), directed the Orthodox Synod as a religion of fear, and maintained that Jesus saved mankind from sin, not only from punishment¹.
Transcendentalism was closely related to Unitarianism and associated with Harvard and Boston University in New England. It was not a rejection of Unitarianism; but was born as a movement parallel to the ideas put forward by the Unit. Unitarianism, first, was the dominant religious movement which appeared in Boston in the early 19^th century and started to develop in the Harvard University in the New England; where most transcendentalists were students. Unitarianism began as a reaction against Calvinism's influence on religious life. It was presented, thus depicting an optimistic religion that was influenced by philosophical enlightenment. The American transcendentalism cannot be understood out of the context of Unitarianism. Transcendentalists felt that something missing in Unitarianism and they should complete the gap and treat the problem, they are required to land their religion and philosophy in transcendence Principles that are not based on or can be fabricated before, are sensitive, but are derived of the inner, spiritual or mental essence of man. Emanuel Kant had called everyone shrewd knowledge that does not mean things but with a situation Knowing things. The transcendentalists were largely unversed with German Philosophy in the original, and relied primarily on the writings of Thomas Carlyle, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Victor Cousin, Germaine de Stael, and other English and French commentators for their knowledge of it. In contrast, they were intimately familiar with the English Romantics, and the transcendental movement may be partially described as a slightly later, American outgrowth of romanticism. Another major influence was the Mystical spiritualism of Emanuel Sweden¹.
Also transcendentalists were Unitarians, who liberal in sentiments, turned Calvinism pessimism of optimism; God was love and fair, not arbitrary or retaliation. Man is not necessarily wrong but capable of moral virtue and goodness. The Unitarians also responded against the mechanical universe and the rational religion of Destin. Nature manifested the divine purpose, and man may know and appreciate its full beauty. But man must transcend ordinary understanding or experience, and his spirit must be in direct contact with divinity. This can be done largely without the benefit of clergy. The Unitarians, like Deists, would like to use the reason for the interpretation of the Bible, unlike Deists, many of the accepted revelation.
In response to Locke's concept of experience, there is a transcendental world that goes beyond appearances, and the ultimate reality that only reason and intuition can penetrate is to criticize reliance on knowledge based on experimental and scientific facts such evidence was only likely, and ended in doubt. The transcendentalists were the humanitarian workers who were deeply concerned with moral progress, with political, social and equality justice. Everyone has inherent dignity, which is also called for equality. Everyone has the capacity and the right to consult his own intuition. They fought against acceptance of injustice and defended liberalism in social work.