Denominating those uniquely human pursuits--the search for beauty, an interest in ethics, and the organization of leisure activities, among others--that rise above merely survivalist concerns "transcendence," this examination argues that, far from being a purely religious expression, this concept of transcendence can be observed in aesthetics, in ethics, in nationalism, in romance, in language, and in symbolism. The book thoroughly--and often controversially--tackles topics such as human uniqueness, the emergence of the self, and the intricacies of the mental world as it demonstrates that transcendence, far from being merely applicable to the religious realm, is a constant presence in the human mind and, more than that, is fundamental to the stability of the human psyche.