transcendentalism

Transcendentalism:  A philosophy based on the doctrine that the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought, it emphasizes the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical.

Ralph Waldo Emerson:

• He was a leader in the Transcendentalism movement in America. He  believed formal organized religion was too conventional and limiting. He asserted that the only way to true spirituality was through communion with nature and contemplation.
•  A prodigy as a child, Emerson began his time at Harvard at the age of 14, making him the youngest boy in his clases.
• Emerson's book on transcendentalism, Nature, was published anonymously. He did not want his name on the book because the topic was so controversial at the time of publication.
• His circle of friends called Emerson "The Sage of Concord," because they considered him wise.
• Emerson was both in favor of women's rights and opposed to slavery.
• Emerson, who was known in his youth for his impressive intellect, lost his memory as he got older.
•  He stopped appearing in public in 1879 and died three years later at his home in , Massachusetts.