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Are people inherently* good? Or inherently evil? Why do you think so? (*naturally). Why do you think so?
Romanticism 1800-1855
Focused on emotions Emphasized imagination over reason & intuition over fact Literature could be interpreted on the surface or at a deeper philosophical level Writers include: Edgar Allan Poe (Gothic writer), Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman
Part 4
Transcendentalism is a SUBGROUP of Romanticism
The two are very closely related, but transcendentalism came on the scene in the 1850s
Transcendentalist Philosophy
matters of God transcend human experience
Reaction to DEISM (atheism) present in Rationalists Age of Reason Wanted to create religious consciousness that would exhibit freedom and democracy of the new nation
Transcendentalism is
A belief system A literary movement in the US in the
Transcendentalism is NOT
A religion
Transcendentalists believe
1. The individual is the spiritual center of the universe 2. The human spirit is reflected in nature 3. By observing nature and our feelings, we can find truth 4. In the goodness and perfectibility of humans 4. A universal Over Soul unites God, nature, and humanity
In short
In Short
Humans = Nature = God
Connected through Over-Soul: all-encompassing power for goodness @ birth: get a piece to use as your moral compass in life @ death: your goodness goes back into OverSoul Eyeball Quote calls the Over-Soul the Universal Being
Anti-transcendentalism
Spiritual forces are NOT always positive Dark view of humanity Humans, underneath the surface, are:
Corrupt Insane Evil