Immanence vs Transcendence

People around the world and throughout time have always had an idea of spirituality. The spirit has been thought of as an essential part of human nature. The evidence is in the common culture of religions in the world. The soul is the essence of humanity and spirituality is the condition of one’s soul. Spirituality is the condition of a consciousness. One answer to creating this essential growth in spirituality is Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is the rebellion of one’s soul against the societal laws that humanity upholds. It is the integrity of a being and the healing of a scarred mind through nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a major figure in transcendentalist literature and wrote two separate essays, one being named “Self-Reliance”, and the other “Nature”. Spiritual growth of all kinds is motivated by these transcendentalist impulses, shown through literary impressions and comparisons, mainly through Emerson, around the themes of self-reliance, poetic nature, and the influence of that nature on the soul.

The first key value of transcendentalism is individualism. Which is the idea of free-thought and self-reliance. It inspires followers to have free thought and live their life based on their own values and not society’s. McCandless exhibits the trait of individualism by creating a whole new

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this address is to argue for the following theses: (1) the concept of transcendentality can be associated not only with idealism but also with materialism; (2) such a connection was made possible by Karl Marx's theory; and (3) in the development of Marxism up to now, theory has been tied to a political movement, which is an error of principle, for what survives of it is a kind of social ethics which should more appropriately be called Marxism. Transcendence and immanence are notions of relationship. Values exist sensually above the senses: e.g., the aesthetic value of a painting is not identical with the material of the canvas and the oils on it, although it

In the mid-1830s, Ralph Waldo Emerson created a belief called Transcendentalism. He wrote the essay, “Self Reliance” and Henry David Thoreau, another Transcendentalist wrote an essay called, “Walden.” Both works of literature focus on the Transcendentalism belief. In “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne reveals both Transcendentalism and Anti-Transcendentalism through the attitudes of the characters. Therefore, “The Minister’s Black Veil” can be compared and contrasted with both “Self Reliance” and “Walden.”

Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless, and Henry David Thoreau embrace the true ideology of transcendentalism in their writings. Transcendentalism is the belief that people can spiritually grow by becoming one with nature. They believe, however, that they do not need things of this world to do so. Between their stories, we can clearly see the parallels between McCandless’s life and Thoreau’s life.

Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau in their two story’s Into the Wild and Walden show us the world of Transcendentalism through their eyes. Transcendentalism is a religion, movement and a life style to some. It’s the idea of being equal amongst all humans no matter what race or decadence; it’s accomplishing and having self-wisdom, and being one with nature devoting your life to the wild. Chris McCandless’s decision to devoting his life to the perpetual and thick Alaskan forest, and the menacing obstacles he may face, mirrors the Transcendentalist beliefs of Thoreau. An example in Into The Wild it tell how McCandless shreds his money into bits and pieces , and that he walks into the wild with a bag of rice and a gun.

At the beginning of the 1800s, scientists knew of some kinds of fossils, and were very aware of homologous and vestigial structures. Many scientists suspected that some kind of evolution had given rise to living things around them. However, they had no theory to explain how evolution might have occurred. Two scientists led the way in the search for a mechanism of evolution. The first was Jean Lamarck. The second was one of the greatest figures in biology, Charles Darwin.

Transcendentalists were known for believing in a new way of comprehending knowledge and the truth. On the foundation of this belief, they built the movement. The movement first began in Germany when, Immanuel Kant, began combatting the Scientific Revolution’s storing of facts by writing about the abstracts of existence. His argument, which became the driving force of Transcendentalism, was that each individual has the right to reason for themselves and to fit their reasoning into their view of the world as a whole. This argument encouraged a spark of skepticism in doubt, which fueled the movement.

Transcendentalism can be the best thing for some people, but it also has its consequences.

Transcendentalism, as described and asserted by Emerson, has been a very controversial topic during the twenty-first-century. The country as it is now is more technologically advanced and educated than ever; seeking transcendentalism is now more difficult than ever. With commodities such as cell phones, computers, and the Internet, most would not think of seeking out the values in nature

Transcendentalism was a huge cultural movement in the nineteenth century; however, the ideas of the movement still continue to influence our society in the twenty-first century. These ideas of Transcendentalism have continued to exist throughout many years because the ideas remain relevant to society. In fact, the problems that many Transcendentalist writers encountered still happen today in new forms. These similar problems include conformity, the role of government in society, and the importance of nature. In general, people still feel that society needs to better itself for the benefit of all individuals, which is at the heart of Transcendentalism. Some of the ideas that Transcendentalists constantly defended included individualism,

Charles Darwin began his scientific breakthroughs and upcoming theories when he began an expedition trip to the Galapagos Islands of South America. While studying there, he discovered that each island had its own type of plant and animal species. Although these plants and animals were similar in appearance, they had other characteristics that made them differ from one another and seem to not appear as similar. Darwin questioned why these plants and animals were on these islands and why they are different in ways.

There have been numerous religious rebellions throughout history, but none quite like that of Transcendentalism. This movement embodies the idea that spiritual growth can be achieved through personal journey instead of conflicting with organized religion. By the time of the movement’s onset, newly gained religious freedom in the United States allowed for new ideas and beliefs to prosper freely. At the heart of this movement was Transcendentalism philosophy famous ambassadors, Ralph Waldo Emerson and apprentice Henry David Thoreau. These men believed nature is what forces us not to depend on other ideas but to develop our own.

“If a person wished to know what transcendentalism was he should empty his mind of everything coming from tradition and the rest would be transcendentalism” (Boller 34). This literary period has dramatically shaped literature and religion, in America. Many writers like Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson have been influence by transcendental ideas. It is astonishing how an inspiring literature movement can change so much of the world’s view and still is around today.

The poem “Song of Myself” contains all the elements that defined “Transcendentalism”. The Transcendental movement is based on the principle that human knowledge could go beyond worlds. “Transcendentalism” originated as a sub-genre of “Romanticism”.