Transcendentalism

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the philosophy of transcendentalism through the interpretations of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller. It draws from their interpretations and illustrates transcendentalism through Emerson's and Fuller's essays, "Self-Reliance" and "The Great Lawsuit," respectively. The paper then compares their views in terms of gender differences.

From the Paper:

"Emerson also argued how modern society had put down human faculties and ability to learn through his/her feelings--aptly determined as perception. The perception/fact dichotomy has plagued human thinking for many years, and this development in the modern period has been a cause for concern, since, according to Emerson, perception need not be considered as a simple concept that do not have a significant role in influencing human thoughts and feelings. Perceptions, as explicated in the essay, are not "whimsical, but fatal. If I see a trait, my children will see it after me, and in course of time, all mankind--although it may chance that no one has seen it before me. For my perception of it is as much a fact as the sun." Thus, Emerson believed that humanity should not only give strong belief on facts, but most importantly, on human perceptions. It is only through human perceptions that higher forms of reality and knowledge can be achieved and become humanly possible."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Emerson, R. W. (1841). E-text of "Self-reliance." Available at: http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm.
• Fuller, M. (1843). E-text of "The Great Lawsuit." Available at: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/fuller/debate.html.
• Rubinstein, E. (2006). "The philosophical spirit from Plato to Nussbaum." Commonwealth, Vol. 133, Issue 4.

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