Transcendentalism vs Anti-Transcendentalism
Jeff Linkback
Mrs. Jones
College Prep English
2 March 2015
Transcendentalism vs. Anti-Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was a movement that began in New England during the time period of the 1830’s. There is no definite starting point, but it is often believed by most people to have begun with the Transcendentalism club which birthed in September 8, 1836 by Ralph Waldo Emmerson. The movement had changed the views of philosophy, religion, social, and the devices of literature. The main idea of this movement delivered the message of individualism and spiritual reality. The prominence of Transcendentalism was due to the conflict against the Unitarian church. They believed that an individual was greater and more powerful than the mass and that God dwelt within a person and his mind, which would bring divine messages from him, which resulted in the unnecessary need of a church. The beliefs often changed, but some points stayed the same. A few examples are man is born good, man is a perfect creature from God, God is found in and only through nature, universal truths, and the oversoul pool concept. Anti-transcendentalism was a movement that began during the same time period as Transcendentalism, which is believed to have started in 1836. This movement was believed to describe the true nature of society, which brought forth the side of evil and guilt of sin from man. This movement was most often seen and expressed through literature. Anti-transcendentalism began in order to point out the flaws and failures of the belief of a Utopian society, in which so many people wanted to believe as true. Its beginnings birthed from the opposition of ideas from the transcendentalist, as they both are in contradiction. The core beliefs in the movement of anti-transcendentalism are: man is born with a stain of sin, man is the most destructible force in nature, God is only found through good words and experiences of life, there is no such thing as a universal truth, just
Mrs. Jones
College Prep English
2 March 2015
Transcendentalism vs. Anti-Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was a movement that began in New England during the time period of the 1830’s. There is no definite starting point, but it is often believed by most people to have begun with the Transcendentalism club which birthed in September 8, 1836 by Ralph Waldo Emmerson. The movement had changed the views of philosophy, religion, social, and the devices of literature. The main idea of this movement delivered the message of individualism and spiritual reality. The prominence of Transcendentalism was due to the conflict against the Unitarian church. They believed that an individual was greater and more powerful than the mass and that God dwelt within a person and his mind, which would bring divine messages from him, which resulted in the unnecessary need of a church. The beliefs often changed, but some points stayed the same. A few examples are man is born good, man is a perfect creature from God, God is found in and only through nature, universal truths, and the oversoul pool concept. Anti-transcendentalism was a movement that began during the same time period as Transcendentalism, which is believed to have started in 1836. This movement was believed to describe the true nature of society, which brought forth the side of evil and guilt of sin from man. This movement was most often seen and expressed through literature. Anti-transcendentalism began in order to point out the flaws and failures of the belief of a Utopian society, in which so many people wanted to believe as true. Its beginnings birthed from the opposition of ideas from the transcendentalist, as they both are in contradiction. The core beliefs in the movement of anti-transcendentalism are: man is born with a stain of sin, man is the most destructible force in nature, God is only found through good words and experiences of life, there is no such thing as a universal truth, just