Transcendentalism VS Anti-Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism VS Anti-Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophy that originated in the 1830's. Its chief aficionado, Ralph Waldo Emerson, began the movement by meeting regularly with other intellectuals of the time to discuss a various array of topics. The Transcendentalism movement was the mainstream flow of writers in the New England Renaissance, large in part to it affected all of the scholars of the period. The contrasting philosophy anti- Transcendentalism was a small philosophical movement predominantly consisting of only two writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. These two were leaders of a movement that dared to go against the conventional belief. Hawthorne and Melville are considered two of the greater fiction writer of their time and together these prescient scholars pertinaciously stood up, as opposition to what they felt was impractical perspective. The Transcendentalists had a wide variety of beliefs that were constantly changing to adapt to the time. Though always changing and never having a standard set of beliefs Transcendentalists general agreed on certain key points in their philosophy: man is born good, children are Gods most perfect creation, one can only find god in and through nature the belief in universal truths, and the oversoul pool concept.
Anti-Transcendentalists also have important elements that are generally agreed on: man is born with the stain of the original sin, man is the most destructive force in nature, one can only find God through good works and life experience. There are no Universal truths just individual truths, and there is no oversoul pool just Heaven and Hell. These keynotes in each philosophy are essential in understanding the foundation of both these beliefs
One of Transcendentalists essential beliefs is that man is born essentially good. This is contrary to the belief of anti-Transcendentalists who believes that man is born essentially bad with the stain of the original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, on their soul. Transcendentalists however believe sins are not passes down from generation to generation. Therefore, man would not have been born with the sin of Adam and Eve, but born with the blessing of god. Regardless of Transcendental belief, Anti-Transcendentalists feel that every soul is born with sin, that sin being passed since the first man and woman, and must wipe it away though good deeds and noble acts. Hence all humans must strive to live a life without sin, and as perfect as possible to relieve themselves of...