A Study of Emersonian Transcendental Educational Thought

Book excerpt: 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.