Lecture 6-Transcendentalism

LectureSix:AnAmericanRenaissanceMajorwritersandLiteraryWorksExitContinueHistoricalBackgroundTranscendentalismReasonsfortheRiseofAmericanTranscendentalismBasicTenetsofAmericanTranscendentalismExitContinueHistoricalBackgroundInthe1830sand1840s,thefrontierofAmericansocietywasquicklymovingtowardthewest.FollowinginthepathofBrackenridgeandCooper,writerswerebeginningtolookatthewesternfrontierforideasforaliteratureaboutAmericanlife.Butinthecitiesalongtheeastcoast,theolderidealofthenationasanAtlanticcommunitywasstillverymuchalive.ThefeelingtherewasthattheculturesofMassachusettsandVirginiaoughttobethemodelsofnationalculture.Atthistime,Bostonanditsneighboringtownsandvillageswerefilledwithintellectualexcitementandactivity.Harvard,innearbyCambridge,wasnolongertheonlyplacedeeplyinterestedineducation.Thepowerful(andnowratherconservative)NorthAmericanReview,foundedbyHarvardprofessorEdwardChanningin1818,wasalsobusilyspreadingideas.Andsince1826,travelinglecturershadbeenbringingknowledgeaboutcultureandsciencetoboththecityandtheNewEnglandcountryside.TherewasaUsefulKnowledgeSociety,aNaturalHistorySocietyandtheMercantileLibraryAssociation.Thankstothem,manyNewEnglandersbecameregularlecture-goers.ExitContinueHistoricalBackgroundAmongtheyoungerpeople,therewasmuchtalkaboutthe“newspiritualera”.TheyoungintellectualsofBostonweredissatisfiedwiththeoldpatriotism.America’spowerandwealthdidnotinterestthem.Theywantedtoexploretheinnerlife.TheystudiedtheGreek,GermanandIndianphilosophers.Manykeptdiariesabouttheirlivesandfeelings.Othersbecamevegetariansornudists.InthecenterofthisactivityweretheTranscendentalists.Theyformedamovementoffeelingsandbeliefsratherthanasystemofphilosophy.TheyrejectedboththeconservativePuritanismoftheirancestorsandthenewer,liberalfaithofUnitarianism(上帝一位论，abranchoftheChristianchurchwhichdoesnotbelieveintheTrinity).Theysawbothreligionsas“negative,cold,lifeless”.AlthoughtheyrespectedChristforthewisdomofhisteachings,theythoughtoftheworksofShakespeareandthegreatphilosophersasequallyimportant.WiththefadingoftheRenaissance,Europehadpassedintoanageofcriticism,duringwhichallithadinheritedandachievedintheprecedingerawassubjectedtothetestofreason.ExitContinueTranscendentalismThroughouttheeighteenthcenturyespecially,theexistingstructureofsocietywassubtlyundermined,andwhen,attheendofthatcentury,itfinallycollapsed,therevolution,whichinrealityhadlongbeeninpreparation,tookonanabruptandmiraculousappearance.Intherealmofartandliteratureitmeanttheshatteringofpseudo-classicrulesandformsinfavorofaspiritoffreedom,thecreationofworksfilledwiththenewpassionfornatureandcommonhumanityandincarnatingafreshsenseofthewonder,promise,andromanceoflife.Inthescientificandindustrialworlditmeantthosefundamentalandfar-reachingchanges,whichcamewiththeconstantlyfullerrecognitionandadoptionofthescientificmethod.Tothespecialstudents,thefirstfacttobeseizedandheldfastinanydiscussionofNewEnglandtranscendentalismisthatthenewspiritwhichappearedinEuropeacenturyandmoreagowasneithersocial,norpolitical,norindustrial,noreconomic,norliterary,norscientific,norreligious.ExitContinueTranscendentalismItwasallofthematonce.Ittranscendedeveryphaseoflife—thoughitistrue,ofcourse,thatinthisparticularlocalityoratthatparticulartime,inthisindividualorinthatsocialatmosphere,itdidtakeonthisorthatpredominantemphasisorcolor.OnthissideoftheAtlantic,forinstance,itassumedattheoutsetapre-eminentlypoliticalcharacter,andAmerica,inherownRevolutionandintheeventswhichfollowedit,madeanearlyandmemorablecontributiontothatgreaterrevolutionofthehumanspirit.ButAmerica,saveinthecasehereandthereofanexceptionalmind,remainedlargelyunconscious,evenasamatterofpoliticaltheory,ofthegeneralsignificancefortheworldofwhatshehadaccomplished.Stilllesshadshedistilledfromherdemocraticpracticeanyfreshphilosophyorfaith.When,then,voicesfromabroadofthosewhowereseekingareligionfortheneworderofthingspenetratedtoacommunitywhich,religioustothecore,hadlongbeenreligiouslystarved,thosevoiceswereboundtobeheardandanswered.ThatispreciselywhatbeganhappeningnearBostonshortlybeforetheyear1830.Theresultwassimilartowhatoccurs,underlikeconditions,inthecaseofanindividual.ExitContinueTranscendentalismTheconceptofTranscendentalismsuggeststhattheexternalisunitedwiththeinternal.Physicalormaterialnatureisneutralorindifferentorobjective;itisneitherhelpfulnorhurtful;itisneitherbeautifulnorugly.Whatmakesonegivesuchattributestonatureisthatindividual’simpositionofher/histemperamentormoodorpsyche.IfI’mfeelinglousy,Imaydismissagorgeousday;ifI’mfeelingbrightandcheerfulthenthemostdrearyofdaysbecomestolerable.Andso,theTranscendentalistsbelievedthat“knowingyourself”and“studyingnature”isthesameactivity.Naturemirrorsourpsyche.IfIcannotunderstandmyself,maybeunderstandingnaturewillhelp.HereisDarrelAbel’s“take”onthisconcept:“Sinceonedivinecharacterwasimmanenteverywhereinnatureandinman,man’sreasoncoulddiscernthespiritualideasinnatureandhissensescouldregisterimpressionsofthematerialformsofnature.Tomanthesubject,naturetheobject,whichsharedthesamedivineconstitution