transcendentalism Hear it!

transcendentalism Definition

tran·scen·den·tal·ism (-iz′əm)

noun

  1. any of various philosophies that propose to discover the nature of reality by investigating the process of thought rather than the objects of sense experience: the philosophies of Kant, Hegel, and Fichte are examples of transcendentalism
  2. ☆ by extension, the philosophical ideas of Emerson and some other 19th-cent. New Englanders, based on a search for reality through spiritual intuition
  3. popularly any obscure, visionary, or idealistic thought

Etymology: < 18th-c. Ger transcendentalismus: see transcendental & -ism

transcendentalism Related Forms

tran′·scen·den′·tal·ist noun, adjective

transcendentalism Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

masculine: We can see masculine transcendentalism at work in Wired magazine, or in all of the hype around artificial intelligence or virtual reality.