Trancendentalism + New Age Exam

origin - transcendentalism

origin - transcendentalism

the universe has always been

meaning/purpose - transcendentalism

to alleviate or minimize human suffering + injustice

morality - transcendentalism

completely self-determined depending upon the idea of moving up or down within the reincarnation line

destiny - transcendentalism

reincarnation up (toward ultimate realization of divinity) or down (a lesser organism in the circle of life

origin - New Age

all things have been

meaning/purpose - New Age

to be one w/ the universe by denying self in order to awaken the deity within

morality - New Age

not easily defined; there is disagreement here, but the popular thought is when “oneness” is attained, good and evil disappear.

destiny - New Age

death then reincarnation

distinctives of transcendalism

• doesn’t focus much attention on physical realm

• to them, the world isn’t hostile to humans but is a part of organic fabric of all reality

• only believe in subjective sense

• have more of an emotional appeal (ex: divinity, self-reliance, moral-freedom, second chance)

• ultimate reality is beyond human comprehension

• ultimate reality is spiritual not logical

• all things (in creation) are one

• positive view on mankind; mankind is divine

difficulties of transcendentalism

• emotional over logical

• logical inconsistencies (makes it hard to prove something)

• the problem of evil

• reincarnation - meaning it moves back instead of moving forward

subcategories of transcendentalism

• Hinduism

• Buddhism

• Taoism

• Confucianism

• Unity school of Christianity

• Christian science

basic history of new age

• radical shift from western thought

• “higher consciousness” over intellectual thought

• is still continuing

• when is first gained popularity, this worldview had no idea of its direction

reality of new age

• seeing is being: appearance is reality

• time is linear: past doesn’t matter, now matters, the future is hope filled

what worldview said “cosmic consciousness is the goal”

new age

self-realization of new age

• self and cosmos are the same piece

• “know that you are God: know that you are the universe.” - MacLaine

• self-denial

• morals vanish once reached

• do not believe in “hell” but yet similarly they do

prime reality of new age

• occult version: contains witches, warlocks, sorcerers, shamans, witch doctors, etc

• psychedelic version: reality is perceived under altered states of consciousness

• conceptual relativist version: reality is what is it; explained with symbols

knowledge of new age

• “I experience (whatever); therefore it is”

  • that is there source of authority

  • one must be convinced

• there is no direct knowledge of personal divinity

• personal experience dictates what can be known

  • without personal experience, there is no authority

problems within the new age

• closed universe

• distinctions of good and evil disappear

• survival of human race is a prime value (necessitates radical transformation or evolution)

• suffers from…:

  • solipsism: theory that self is the only thing that can be known

  • egoism: self-interest is the foundation of morality

• borrows from animism

  • supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe

    • a host of demigods, demons, and guardians who inhabit separate realities or inner spaces of the mind

human nature of new age

• highly individualized (each person is a representation of 1 deity)

  • borrowed from naturalism and theism

• new age is borrowing from other worldviews:

  • Jesus

  • buddha

reach of new age

• found in:

  • psychology, sociology, anthropology, movies, etc

• borrows from every major worldview

  • no singular god unless it is each of us (humans)

  • hope of evolutionary change toward a new age

  • rejection of reason requiring new levels of thought

    • stored thinking is an examples

  • closely resembles animism and pagan thought