Transcendentalism: Key Concepts and Figures

Transcendentalism, often called American transcendentalism, is a 19th-century philosophical movement centered in New England. It emphasizes the belief that divine truth is known intuitively, influencing literature, religion, and culture. It arose as a protest against American culture and intellectualism, particularly at Harvard and the Unitarian Church. Influenced by Kant, German idealists, Romanticism, and Vedic thought, it promotes an ideal spiritual state realized through intuition. Key figures include Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller, with the movement gaining prominence in 1836 through Emerson's essay 'Nature' and the founding of the Transcendental Club.

What is the primary claim of transcendentalism?

• Divine truth is a myth.

• Divine truth is only accessible through religious texts.

• Divine truth can be known intuitively.

• Divine truth can be known through scientific methods.

In which region of the United States did transcendentalism primarily develop?

• The Western States

• The New England region

• The Midwestern States

• The Southern States

What was transcendentalism a protest against?

• The general state of American culture and society

• The abolitionist movement

• The industrial revolution

• The British monarchy

Which university's intellectualism was specifically targeted by transcendentalists?

• Yale University

• Princeton University

• Harvard University

• Stanford University

Transcendentalism is built on the philosophy of which German idealist?

• Arthur Schopenhauer

• Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

• Immanuel Kant

• Friedrich Nietzsche

What did transcendentalists believe about the ideal spiritual state?

• It can be realized through scientific research.

• It transcends the physical and empirical and is realized through intuition.

• It is only accessible through religious institutions.

• It is a concept created by the government.

Which philosophical movement did transcendentalism specifically reject?

• Greek stoicism

• French existentialism

• British empiricism of the Age of Reason

• Roman epicureanism

Who is considered a prominent transcendentalist?

• Edgar Allan Poe

• Mark Twain

• Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Ralph Waldo Emerson

When did transcendentalism first become a major movement?

• 1850

• 1900

• 1836

• 1800

What was the name of the club founded by New England intellectuals that helped establish transcendentalism?

• The Romantic Club

• The Enlightenment Club

• The Idealist Club

• The Transcendental Club