Pros And Cons Of Being A Transcendentalists

Most members of society would not consider a domestic terrorist a brilliant mind. Theodore John Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, is noted to have an IQ, or intelligence quotient, of 167. According to the article “What is IQ?” by Mensa International, IQ is “a type of standard score that indicates how far above, or how far below, his/her peer group an individual stands in mental ability. The peer group score is an IQ of 100; this is obtained by applying the same test to huge numbers of people from all socio-economic strata of society, and taking the average” (Mensa). Kacynski’s profound score of 167 shows how he is much smarter than most individuals in terms of IQ. For many, Kacynski’s extremely high IQ may seem strange. Most individuals

Another extremely bright individual who attempted to spread their message across society is Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau was a transcendentalist who had an IQ of 160. Being a transcendentalist means being able to stand up for what one believes is correct, even if others do not agree with the belief. According to the article “Transcendentalism”, a more technical definition of transcendentalism is “a 19th-century school of American theological and philosophical thought that combined respect for nature and self-sufficiency with elements of Unitarianism and German Romanticism” (History.com). While not all transcendentalists are geniuses, many are bright and create their own ways to express their beliefs. Theodore John Kaczysnki is considered a transcendentalist because he is able to express his passion for nature, simplicity, and self-reliance in his unique actions and intense writing. Kaczynski’s actions may seem more intense than other transcendentalists, but Kaczynski performed his actions for the same reasons other transcendentalists write novels and attempt to persuade the

Ralph Waldo Emerson was another famous transcendentalist who focused on being self-reliant and not needing society to survive. According to Emerson, self-reliance is “about relying on one’s own sense of oneself, and having confidence in one’s ideas and opinions” (Tearle). Kaczynski is considered to be self-reliant because of his actions and the drastic measures he took to match Emerson’s view on self-reliance. The house Kaczynski lived in contained no running water, no electricity, and no input from the outside world. In order to survive, Kaczynski had to burn wood to stay warm and cook, carry freshwater to his house by hand, and grow his own food. Kaczynski going out on his own did not make him self reliant. He is self-reliant because he did not conform to others' ideas of how a normal life looks while alone. While away from society, Kaczynski was left alone which never left any suspicion as many moved to Lincoln to be left alone. Since Kaczynski kept to himself so much, “two days of scrutiny by the international press has yet to produce a single Lincoln resident who says they were Kaczynski’s friend, or that they ever heard he had one.”(Los Angeles Times). Kaczynski keeping to himself displays self-reliance in the terms of a transcendentalist. Kaczynski was self-reliant for his whole time living in the forests of Montana. Kaczynski barely worked for money and he only used the money to make phone calls on the payphone or