Philosophical+Responses

EK, AT, LM Return to the Home Page Philosophical Responses Analysis Primary Sources Bibliography
 * Transcendentalism** is a philosophy that encourages individuality in the respects to religion, economics, and social trends. Transcendentalism focuses on individual’s connection to nature and having a personal connection with God. The main leader of Transcendentalism was **Ralph Waldo Emerson**. Emerson was a philosopher who wrote **“Self–Reliance”.** This writing emphasized self-improvement by possessing freedom and independence from the unnatural ways of society. Emerson believed that conforming to social trends damaged the intellectual growth of individuals because they didn’t have to use their minds. **Henry David Thoreau** believed in Transcendentalism and believed in the complete separation for society and industrialization and focused on the importance of connecting with nature. Thoreau is famous for his book **//Walden Pond//**//,// which was a book written when Thoreau isolated himself in the woods to enable him to live simply and closely with nature. Transcendentalism caused **romanticism**; a literary movement, because it encouraged individuals to be themselves which was transferred into literature.

The **Utopian Movement** was a movement that’s goal was perfection in the community and in religion. Part of the Utopian Movement was the creation of **Utopian Communities**. In these communities everybody was “dedicated to perfection in social and political conditions.” These communities had a **communal** resource of land and communally raised children. They strove for a perfect government and perfect social order. Women in these communities had equal rights as men. Community enforced the **complex marriage system,** which controlled reproduction of children in all of the couples in the community. The men and women had equal roles in the society and both sexes were dedicated to productive labor. Some examples of Utopian communities include **Shakers**, who believed in strict celibacy, **Oneida** who practiced the complex marriage system and the **New Harmony** community, which was the first Utopian community in the U.S.

-LM
 * Transcendentalism** began in New England. The **Market Revolution** was the reason for the transcendental movement because they rejected the industrial age brought on by the economic revolution. The economy grew in this time but the country suffered. Transcendentalism was the response to the shift into masses of factory workers and the destruction of towns for a profit. Utopian Movements occurred because of transcendental philosophy because both believed in the separation from **industrialization.** The ideas of Utopians were the rejection of society and the creation of a perfect world. The transcendental philosophy was created to try and reform the country and the Utopian communities were one of the **efforts of reform**. Another example is the Romanticism movement that encouraged individuality and work involving the mind.