Henry David Thoreau: The Instrumental Transcendentalist?
At the outset, it is important to note that the nature of this essay is exploratory, an effort to open a conjunctive discussion of two seemingly disparate strands of the American intellectual tradition. Of the handful of what we might refer to as indigenously unique philosophical traditions, the two most likely to survive a serious debate on this matter would have to be Institutionalism and New England Transcendentalism. Both emerged in the nineteenth century, at least in part as a reflection of the unique experiences of the geographical and cultural settlement of the United States. Both might also be characterized as unique philosophical reactions to the intellectual and religious baggage that found its way across the Atlantic from Europe. We might perhaps go further, saying that both are in the business of reconstruction, as neither Institutionalism nor Transcendentalism is fond of the dogmatic assertions, the veiled authority, or the habits and customs of orthodoxy, whether religious, philosophical, or otherwise. While these similarities persist, and would under normal circumstances be enough to initiate our discussion, it seems that common understanding has and continues to oppose it. After all, it is generally conceived that idealism