1. Emerson wrote: "The highest revelation is that God is in every man." Emerson is saying that the elements of love, freedom and power which are God reside in everyone; God is in our soul. He is saying that God is personal and can be known through the intellect, and through mystical inner experiences. He is saying that everyone is responsible for their spiritual growth and development, and that everyone has the power within to transform their life.
2. A cluster of ideas that left much room for individual interpretation, transcendentalism was an America attempt to produce a new philosophy that would serve a new nation. Transcendentalism is the search for a truth that might be true at all times in all places; the belief that evidence for such a spiritual truth might be found in and through the physical world, and the idea that each individual has the capacity to experience this truth in a personal way. Transcendentalism stresses a divine force in each individual, a force that is also linked to nature and has the power to transform lives, as well as social institutions. The sources of transcendentalism include English Romanticism, German idealist philosophy and Unitarianism as well as Eastern religions. Transcendentalism developed within a uniquely American environment, but it also extends back to roots in Europe and forward to a global audience. Transcendentalism embodies the desire to reconcile science and rationality with religion.
Leah, I really enjoyed reading your blog. I like your style and it really seems to come from your heart not from a book. I really love that. I do have a couple of observations and questions. Regarding this statement "A cluster of ideas that left much room for individual interpretation, transcendentalism was an America attempt to produce a new philosophy that would serve a new nation." Do you feel this is very similar to the ideas and thoughts Unity has used to build upon? And also you say "Transcendentalism is the search for a truth that might be true at all times in all places." Does this mean that sometimes it might not be true? I was just curious what you meant by this. Thanks for your wonderful blog. Hugs, Bobby
ReplyDeleteHi Leah,
ReplyDeleteYou make several compelling points here, and I especially like the one about Transcendentalism's root system extending back as well as forward. Also compelling was your statement about reconciling science, rationality, and religion. I wonder though, is it true that the Transcendentalists were endeavoring to "produce a new philosophy"? It seems to me that they had no such intention and rather they were exploring and sharing ideas that caught on and helped to inform our national identity and clarify or individual identities as having God within us.
Teresa
Leah,
ReplyDeleteBy saying that everyone is responsible for their own spiritual growth and development Emerson is taking that power and responsibility out of the grasp of the church which in the Calvinistic expression of his day was quite a feat. As such, everyone has the power within to reshape their life. It makes me wonder how Emerson arrived at this notion that God is in every man as love, power, and freedom.
It seems that the Transcendentalist Movement had as a goal, perhaps an unconscious one, to create an American philosophy to hold up to the world. As you said, it was an attempt to reconcile science, rationality, and religion and in doing so foreshadowed how science and religion (spirituality) are coming together today. Thanks for your blog post.