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Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement in the United States during the 19th century.
Its emphasis on intuition and spirituality characterized it. Transcendentalists believed that all
humans have the innate ability to reason and think for themselves and that they all retain a voice
of reason if they search deep within. Transcendentalists were influenced by eastern religions
concentrated on spirituality, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Taoism. The
most remarkable thing about the transcendentalists was their belief in equality and their support
of social reform, such as the abolition of slavery and women’s rights. Transcendentalists
believed that each individual can discover the truth and that everyone has an innate ability to
discover it. Moral reasoning exists within all people, regardless of race or gender, and it is not
Emerson, an influential American author and poet, greatly influenced American literature and
culture. In his book, Self-Reliance, Emerson believed that man could think rationally. Thus, God
endowed every human being with the ability to think, reason, and act; it is up to humankind to
use these gifts wisely. Emerson argued against the idea that following one’s mind is a form of
liberation. It allows one to make judgments rather than blindly following others, and that
individuality is, above all, an essential quality. “To believe your thought, to believe that what is
true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius” (Emerson 236). This is an
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important concept, especially in this day and age when media and social media platforms
influence our thinking. Rather than thinking independently, people blindly follow and feed into
the ideas they do not even have an aptitude to analyze. In other words, the modern world has left
individuals thinking for themselves that change occurs. Humans possess an inner power that
allows them to distinguish between good and evil, and if they listen to their conscience, there
will be no hatred, and they will all live in harmony. In a democracy, this is mainly important
because it helps contribute and bring different perspectives to the table. In his book “Resistance
to civil government,” Thoreau argued that a man is efficient in governing himself. We all
recognize the necessity for a revolution when injustice exists in our society. Thoreau was an
anarchist. However, he believed that everyone had a responsibility to pay their taxes. "I have
never declined to pay the highway tax because I am as desirous of being a good neighbor as I am
of being a bad subject; and, as for supporting schools, I am doing my part to educate my fellow-
countrymen now"(Thoreau 965). This expounds the transcendentalist objective that the truth
justifies its existence by reason and emotion as an individual. Conscience is also one of the main
tenets of Transcendentalism. It believes that God (the Oversoul) is the source of everything, and
everyone is connected to Him directly through conscience. When conscience speaks to you, it is
telling you the truth. Furthermore, our knowledge of good versus evil is innate, which we
naturally recognize intuitively. Socrates first used this theory of truth to encourage people to find
their truths and the inherently good self within themselves. It is an expression of individualism
Work cited
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