Transcendentalism's Trail through History

At one point, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The Transcendentalist” compared the Transcendentalist philosophy with other movements from different time periods. Some of these movements, like Protestant Christianity, are still relevant today, while others, such as Stoicism, have less impact on our modern society. One movement Emerson mentioned, Idealism, was contrasted with a form of Christianity called Unitarianism. The theology of this religion teaches against the Trinitarian form of God. Another example used was that of Cato and Brutus, two men who were a part of what could be classified as a movement- the Roman Republic. Both men were influential in the assassination of Julius Caesar, who happened to be on his way to becoming Rome’s dictator. While this event isn’t culturally relevant to us, it is a significant turning point in the history of Rome. One example that is still relevant was the Protestant Reformation that led to various modern branches of the Christian faith- Lutherans and Calvinists were just some of the denominations that sprung out of the 16th century event.