Transcendentalism is an ideal spiritual state which transcends the physical and empirical. A loose collection of eclectic ideas about literature, philosophy, religion, social reform, and the general state of American culture.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American author and poet, was a central figure in the transcendental movement of the mid-19th century. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the first to express transcendentalism in his essay called Nature. Every human being is a manifestation of conception; who holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Nature too! They are both a manifestation of the superhuman (God) means of understanding it. The goal of science is to provide a theory of nature; but man has not yet reached a truth broad enough to understand all of nature's forms and wonders. Emerson identifies nature and spirit as the components of the universe. Emerson defines nature as …show more content…
He believed that nature could be a great source of inspiration to man and help elevate morality and thinking. These ideas of transcendentalism helped influence many works after his
“Bloom is right that what matters most about Emerson is that he is the theologian of the American religion of Self-Reliance.”
It is clear, though, that Emerson's idea of self-reliance was tied to what later would be called individualism. Emerson's individualism was so essential that it enclosed on self-deification. Nature for Emerson was like the writing of God, and characters with a poetical sense: those who had the want and ability to recite nature, and could understand nature's godly teachings.
Nationalism is the belief that a nation of same culture and history, should be independent and not have foreign dominance. This is also the belief that a nation should set its independence as their primary importance. Nationalism compares to individualism showing nation as being their own independent