A Study Of Emersonian Transcendental Educational Thought

Waldo Ralph Emerson (1803-1882) was a famous American writer and poet in the 19th century. He was also an educational thinker, who advocates reform and progress. As a representative of transcendentalism, he advocated the doctrine of individualism, emphasizing that the power of the spirit is far more than material, and that the potential of individual potential is infinite. Around him, gathered a group of people of insight, who were determined to transform the society, such as Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888), Margaret Fuller (1810-1850), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), etc. All of the above had once been teachers, and they were deeply saddened by the rigid education system and the old-fashioned education methods at the time, and firmly believed that the progress and improvement of society must be based on personal education and moral self-improvement. They actively participated in the mainstream of educational reforms that opened people’s mind, innovated their ways of thinking, and created a new culture with reformed educational system in New England. At the same time, transcendentalism has become an important part of American educational thought.

Transcendental Learning discusses the work of five figures associated with transcendentalism concerning their views on education. Alcott, Emerson, Fuller, Peabody and Thoreau all taught at one time and held definite views about education. The book explores these conceptions with chapters on each of the five individuals and then focuses the main features of transcendental learning and its legacy today. A central thesis of the book is that transcendental learning is essentially holistic in nature and provides rich educational vision that is in many ways a tonic to today’s factory like approach to schooling. In contrast to the narrow vision of education that is promoted by governments and the media, the Transcendentalists offer a redemptive vision of education that includes: -educating the whole child-body, mind, and soul, -happiness as a goal of education. -educating students so they see the interconnectedness of nature, -recognizing the inner wisdom of the child as something to be honored and nurtured, - a blueprint for environmental education through the work of Thoreau, - an inspiring vision for educating women of all ages through the work of Margaret Fuller, - an experimental approach to pedagogy that continually seeks for more effective ways of educating children, - a recognition of the importance of the presence of teacher and encouraging teachers to be aware and conscious of their own behavior. -a vision of multicultural and bilingual education through the work of Elizabeth Peabody The Transcendentalists, particularly Emerson and Thoreau, sewed the seeds for the environmental movement and for non-violent change. Their work eventually influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. and it continues to resonate today in the thinking of Aung Sang Suu Kyi and the Dalai Lama. The Transcendentalists’ vision of education is worth examining as well given the dissatisfaction with the current educational scene. Endorsements: "A Transcendental Education provides a powerfully hopeful, integrative, and holistic vision that can help guide education out of its current vacuum. The book is thoughtfully explicated, expertly synthesized and completely relevant for anyone interesting in helping education find itself. Like the transcendentalists themselves, this is both down-to-earth and soaring in its potential implications." Tobin Hart author of "The Secret Spiritual World of Children" and "From Information to Transformation: Education for the Evolution of Consciousness." "The secret to a vital, renewed America lies in the life and writings of the Transcendentalist community of Concord, Massachusetts in the 19th century. Jack Miller, who I know has been devoted to a new, living form of education throughout his career, has written a book that could inspire a revolution in teaching. It goes against the tide, as do Emerson and Thoreau. But it offers a blueprint and a hope for our children." Thomas Moore, author of "Care of the Soul." "A timely account of great thinking on genuine education. Reading this, today's beleaguered teachers should experience a renewal of spirit and commitment." Nel Noddings, author of "Happiness and Education."

This book is Stanley Cavell’s definitive expression on Emerson. Over the past thirty years, Cavell has demonstrated that he is the most emphatic and provocative philosophical critic of Emerson that America has yet known. The sustained effort of that labor is drawn together here for the first time into a single volume, which also contains two previously unpublished essays and an introduction by Cavell that reflects on this book and the history of its emergence. Students and scholars working in philosophy, literature, American studies, history, film studies, and political theory can now more easily access Cavell’s luminous and enduring work on Emerson. Such engagement should be further complemented by extensive indices and annotations. If we are still in doubt whether America has expressed itself philosophically, there is perhaps no better space for inquiry than reading Cavell reading Emerson.

A study guide for "Transcendentalism", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Literary Movements for Students series. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Literary Movements for Students for all of your research needs.

The full texts of four seminal works by Emerson are presented in this volume: 'Nature, ' 'The American Scholar, ' 'The Divinity School Address, ' and 'The Transcendentalist.' Edward Ericson assesses that impact in his helpful introduction and evaluates anew Emerson's continuing influence on American culture in our century.

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. CliffsNotes on Thoreau, Emerson, and Transcendentalism explores in depth, but also in easy-to-understand terms, transcendentalism—the religious, political, and literary movement that captured the minds of such literary figures as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the first half of the 19th century. This guide helps you to understand the various tenets of transcendentalism, as well as how Thoreau and Emerson became the two most well-known figures associated with the movement and how the transcendentalist philosophy is reflected in their work. In addition to introducing you to the basics of understanding transcendentalism, this guide also gives you the following: Examinations of the lives of Thoreau and Emerson Detailed summaries of and commentaries on many of their transcendentalist writings, such as Emerson's Nature and Thoreau's Walden Critical essays on Emerson and Thoreau's reputation and influence A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, articles, and Internet sites Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

In the name of efficiency, the practice of education has come to be dominated by neoliberal ideology and procedures of standardization and quantification. Such attempts to make all aspects of practice transparent and subject to systematic accounting lack sensitivity to the invisible and the silent, to something in the human condition that cannot readily be expressed in an either-or form. Seeking alternatives to such trends, Saito reads Dewey’s idea of progressive education through the lens of Emersonian moral perfectionism (to borrow a term coined by Stanley Cavell). She elucidates a spiritual and aesthetic dimension to Dewey’s notion of growth, one considerably richer than what Dewey alone presents in his typically scientific terminology.

Presents a reference guide to transcendentalism, with articles on significant works, writers, concepts and more.