transcendentalism Definition
tran·scen·den·tal·ism (-iz′əm)
noun
- 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
- ☆ by extension, the philosophical ideas of Emerson and some other 19th-cent. New Englanders, based on a search for reality through spiritual intuition
- 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.
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