@philosophyminis: To get a free magazine and read my piece on American philosophy, go to bigthink.com/membership to sign up! In 1838, the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson gave such a controversial speech at Harvard University, he was effectively banished. People called it outrageous. They called him a heretic. Because Emerson argued that traditional Christianity misunderstood religion. He thought that Christians had become obsessed with the person of Jesus and with miracles. They said that the only way to understand God was through Christian belief and Christian worship. Instead, Emerson offered a philosophy known as Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is defined by two beliefs. The first is that we all contain a divine spark. We all contain a degree of a soul. And if we listen closely, we can all access God, or the universal consciousness. You don't even need a priest, or the Bible, or a church. And second, Transcendentalism says that one of the best ways to access this divine spark is through nature. When we step outside into the mountains, the woods, or the crashing coastlines of the world, the barrier between who we are and the divine is thinned. God is more often and easily felt in the morning breeze, the rustling of the trees, or a bird's call than in the droning sermon of a pulpit preacher. So, if you want to truly experience the divine, you don't need the Gospels. You just need to get outside. If you want to learn more about Emerson and Transcendentalism, and American philosophy more broadly, you can check out Big Think's new magazine, 'The Opt Out Nation.' And in there, I have an article where I explore all of this philosophy, including Emerson's Transcendentalism, and a few others. It's available on Big Think now, and it's free to all Big Think members.

Jonny Thomson

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Friday 10 July 2026 15:48:30 GMT